SIS Archives -- August 1999

This morning on NPR, there was an interview with Julian Lennon who discussed how he was trying to branch out musically and develop his own sound. Steely Dan was cited as influencing the "moodier" musical interests he is exploring.

Edd - I, too, remember Beanie and Cecil, which I guess makes me old too. Beanie was a boy who had a beanie with a propeller on the top, which led to a brief headwear fad.

Stanger and Stranger - How's old Lee doing? I always thought he was awfully fun.

KatyDanFan - DC is great right now; we've had some rain to ease the drought and the weather is lovely. I haven't been anywhere because I don't have much money right now, but I plan to get to Rehobeth next summer after I do some marketing and get my business going a little better.

Herm - Delightful post; you had me laughing out loud at work.

MRS. SAM

Mrs. Sam wants to know

why the hell he's always

over there

trimming her bush

and pollonating her flowers.

She got a lawn, too

Mrs. Sam does

that needs attending

and a couple of kids

that need a lift to band practice

But he over there

weeping in her greenhouse

trying to open her bud.

Mrs Sam not like

Mrs Sam get pissed

Mrs Sam spray powerful herbicide

all over hussy's flora.

Serve hussy right.

Mrs Sam gotta go to soccer game.

Wanna know where Mr. Sam is.

It's our turn for treats.

I think this is right? Any help!!

MR. SAM

He used to work here in her garden

but he donąt no more

Spellbound by his posies

Heąd caress them on the greenhouse floor

She was the lady

On the outside such an elegant (finery?)

He was the low....?..( cockerspaniard?)

That we all ignored

Mr.Sam donąt look so good no more

I never seen him cry out loud before

One lovely evening left abandoned by her chinaman

She on the rebound

She amazed him with her sleight of hand

Smoking fragrant opium, wild gambling

All the signs of a lifetime of leisure

With no worries, every detail so precisely planned

Mr. Sam donąt look so good no more

I never seen him cry out loud before

Long after midnight, in the half light

Just before the dawn

Broken sorry animal by the greenhouse on the southeast lawn

Standing - almost human -Cryin please

And the screams ....? heard ...?

By a neighbor who was waking by his ...?

Mr.Sam donąt look so good no more

I never seen him cry out loud before

have you guys seen this misheard
lyrics page??

http://www.kissthisguy.com

reelin in the yeast...
infectious.

Okay, so I know it's pointless to talk about Two Against Nature at this point, but I still want to know when the Scam/Aja/Gaucho remasters are going to be released. God, nothing comes easy with these boys. They're probably just fuckin' with us. Well, at least I scored 2 Darth Maul figures for my kid today. In addition, my co-worker is going to sell me his 4-track for $100, and he's throwing in a mike. But dammit, I WANT REMASTERS!!!

honey, lots of honey

bc, goody, anything'll do.

RoyScam: Your fortuitous and correct use of words like fortuitous and axiom will get you and keep you "off the hook" for awhile, anyway!! You're quite right, the head of state so-called solution to a problem most likely started with John the Baptist!

Clas: Glad Pompe is ok. The picture you painted of your mornings with the dog in bed and you and your wife falling out of the bed was very funny. Could you record that sometime?
I think it would sell!

Herm: You're pullng my leg, right? That sounds so real!

Hank: Oh my.....Hansel and Gretel...that was very clever, lol.

El Supremo: End of October, please? ILYM!

Just Katy :)

No, there's something going on in Sevilla, Nebraska. WM?

I like to watch that. Is that sport/sports? -singularis/pluralis?

Roy the Scammer - tell me, how was Berklee? The opinion of the Son.

KD - no more sports-talk and you still have my respect, I think sports are worse than jazz.

RubyBaby - is it "hopefull"?

Edd: Ragmop doodleeedooooo.... [gasp for air and whinge]

F#

Cecil was a "Seasick Sea Serpent"...

B&C were most noted for their rendition of the classic "Ragg Mopp".

"R - A - G - G - M - O - P - P, Ragg Mopp!"

Gahd, I'm old...

As a current amateur and future professional sportswriter, Rick Reilly has the least amount of respect of any sportswriter out there. Around the world, we really think very little of him. He's almost a cliche, consistently harping on the "there's more to life than sports" theme and constantly attacking sports personalities whose only crime seems to be being the best at what they do (your Bulls, your Yankees, etc).

Then again, I don't know how much respect I still get (around here at least) after my last post...

Katy Dan Fan: Good eye. My use of the phrase 'capitol punishment' was a fortuitous intersection of Freudian slippage and lazy proof reading. I try to stick with the old show business axiom (which I just made up) that one joke per joke is enough. -- Historically, capitol punishment, or the idea of terminating the tenure of heads* of state by life-ending methods, has been employed effectively in Rome, Russia, France, and numerous other places. The French, in fact, invented the 'severance package' for government officials with poor performance evaluations.

* no pun intended

Ruby Baby: The name Beeny and Cecil seems familiar but I don't have any vivid memories. Wasn't one of them a sock? Please enlighten. Council will be expected to establish the Steely Dan relevance of this line of questioning, or face contempt-of-guestbook charges.

RS

Ruby: Rick Reilly? The SI guy and beer commercial star? That's an intriguing pick for favorite journalist. What a mystery you are.

Dave: I keep forgetting to tell you what a cool site you have. Damn, I wish I had known about you when planning when my wedding reception. Oh well, maybe my next one. Do you do "Haitian Divorce"?

Dave and Alt: Two other Danny Gatton fans out there. Who'd have thought it. He was a great guitarist and from what I hear, a great guy too. Too bad he apparently didn't know it his ownself

ole: Glad to be of service.

Don't Bake Me Alive: alternate title for "Hansel and Gretel."

Ruby Ruby Ruby Maybe? - a hopeful Swede.

Jon - thanks for the info on Shawn Colvin. And I think your right - "There's a sameness to his writing which allows a little of him go a long way (Hornsby)". But he has tried though, his last one is different from his earlier stuff. And some songs he does really touch my heart.

TheKatyDan - Pompe is fine. He has done a lot of "testing me" lately, stops in the middle of the road and refuse to go further, like he's saying, -I don't wanna work today. And I have to push him, drag him and he's standing still like a heavy statue. 65 kilo. And in the early morning he sneaks up in our bead, silently lying himself between me and my wife. It ends with that I am falling down on the floor on the right side, Lena is falling down on the left side. There's a lot of yelling in the mornings.

C

don't

don't

Oleander- If it's not broken, din't fix it!

Herm & Hank--Thanx profoundly for fixing Monday.

I think Herm has been doing too much LSD lately.

I just had lunch with Liberaci!

Popeye to Bluto: "Don't Take Me Olive"

Dear Doctor Doom:

Sorry, but I don't recall reporting that I was gravely ill and on my deathbed. Even if I did, can't one get better enough to make a luncheon date for the months ahead?

Later,

Herm

Sociable Herm: Great article! And here I thought Walter loved the ihop. Just goes to show ya that song lyrics are not reliable sources of fact.
You're now tied with Rick Reilly as my favorite journalist.

rb

Hermit- Lunch with Donald and Walter? Were you joking a couple a months ago when you told everyone here you were sick and on your death bed? Not funny Herm.

Morning everyone!

Josie Dan Fan: Sorry, if it seemed like I was blowing you off, if was purely unintentional. Still not sure what I did. Hope I didn't hurt your feelings.

I didn't want to tell anybody about this before, but now that it fell through, I might as well let you all in on it. I was scheduled to have lunch this Saturday with both Donald and Walter. 12:30, at a Denny's about 15 miles from my cave. Then, early Saturday morning, I get an email from Don saying that he's not sure if Denny's is the right restaurant for them, and they change it to an IHOP. It'll take me longer to get there, but I say fine, let's do it. I get there at 12:15, and they don't arrive until 1:30. Problems with the size of the limo and the route the driver had mapped out. I was slightly irritated for having to wait, (they told me not to shave or get especially dressed up for the meeting, so after a while, the unpleseant stares from the other customers was making me feel uneasy), but what could I do, get mad at them? No, I considered myself lucky to even getting the invite.

Anyway, I was already at a table when they waltzed in. (Actually, it wasn't so much a waltz, as it was a samba, but that's another story.) The first thing out of their mouths, before even saying hi, was that they didn't care for the table: Not enough light; too close to the kitchen; screaming kid nearby; they didn't like the waitress, and felt the busboy was too inexperienced. I suggested that since it was an IHOP, they shouldn't expect much better than they were getting, but they had made up their minds. The restaurant was full, and we were told that if we wanted another table, there'd be a wait. We sat on the booth by the front door and read a menu. They pre-plotted their entire meals, then looked at each other, and began to make changes. Tables were offered to us every ten minutes; we would try them, but they would always want to make a change. By now, it was 4:45 - closer to dinner than lunch,(a meal I still haven't eaten)- and I boldly stated that I was hungry. They offered me lunch, gave me nothing, and I was starved and demanded something. I stormed up to the hostess and declared that we would take the next available table, no matter where it was or who was serving us. When I went back to tell them, they were gone. In their places was a note and an audio tape. The note said that just didn't feel comfortable with the way things had been going, and they were just going to have to cancel the lunch for now. They promised that we'd do it again, (obviously their idea of levity), sometime in the future, but did not give me a definate date. I ran outside, but they had already taken off. I was so dismayed, my appetite vanished, and I trudged back home.

When I got to the cave, I stuck the cassette tape they left me in the stereo. It turned out to be the audio of a conversation they had during a lunch back in 1994 somewhere outside of Cleveland, recorded directly from their table mikes. I had heard various boots of this conversation before, but they were all recorded from different tables, some not even all that close. Yeah, I was mad, but the tape was cool. They ate all the greatest dishes. At least I still have that until the real thing comes along. Being a fan, I've developed patience.

Later,

Herm

Then there's the great concept album, "Baja":

- Black Sow: A young farmer has a vision of winning the state fair with a pig of mythic proportions.

- Baja: Y. F. travels south of the border to acquire a legendary animal growth hormone.

- De-Con Blues: Things quickly go sour as our hero discovers the luxury lodging he'd been promised is really a filthy rat's nest.

- Pig: Y. F., delerious from dysentery, conjures a feverdream of a chorus line of singing, dancing swine that taunt him and his ambition. Shattered, he loses hope.

- Home At Least: A bitterly disappointed Y.F. returns to the United States, faced with the real possibility of giving up his dream of a prize pig.

- I Get the News: While reading his favorite tabloid at home, Y.F. is called by a telemarketer who tries unsuccessfully to get him to subscribe to the New York Times. However, Y.F. is impressed by the sales rep's moxie and asks her to join him in his quest. (She declines.)

- Joisie: Y.F., back in the Garden State, takes a moment from slopping the hogs and reflects upon his adventures. He decides it was worth it to pursue his dream, but all in all, it's good to be home.

RoyScam: This only gets more comical. Your change of FM should be pretty useful in here, and your take on Chair Lightning was the best...maybe it SHOULD be for "Capitol punishment" rather than "capital punishment" lol, might help straighten out the country....was that intentional?? (I'll be moving in here, also, I would like a virtual condo, no maintenance fees and a pool closeby, please, and I prefer my address is an even number)

David --- you mean I was part of the hello everyone, but Josie got mentioned by name? .....waiting for that CD..

Altamira -- how are things in Washington and did you ever get to Rehoboth Beach this summer?

Clas----no effort involved in thinking of you! How's Pompe, still around?

KD: Your post was moving; my favorite posts are of those who aren't tempted try to control the atmosphere in here--but simply show up and share themselves and their love for the Dan.

Schwinn: Really laughed at your additions to the list of songs!

Has Geena been here to show off her daughter? Geena----watch your mail delivery!

El Supremo: Now on to the next adventure, ILYM!

Just Katy :)

your word game serves to show your limitations. You should all stick to what you're good at - kissing up to SD.

Razor Roy--I like that.

Danspotting--walking in the door to a restaurant, right on cue, the opening notes of "Home At Last." In the produce section, a Muzak version of "Night By Night."

PPP bull--S's are one of the Dan's fave alliterations. Like "where the sailor shuts out the sunrise" or "in the summer all the swells join in the search for sun and sand" or "when the sidewalks are safe." So I'd call mr. f#'s riff an homage and be done with it.

hammy--hey & welcome.

kd--righto on the RS ratio. Your sentiments were sweet.

Ruby--no, but the jOkEr is a real fungi.

f#--ice ready whenever you are.

"Some At Last"--what we hope to get come 1st quarter '00.

David in the Florida Room - Your comments inspired me to dig out my Danny Gatton tape. Damn, that man could play! What amazing music! I wish I could have heard him live, but I only found out about him after he died. It is so sad that he and Roy Buchanan both killed themselves; I wish things could have been better for them and that their lives hadn't become so painful. I had read that despite his brilliance, Gatton had trouble marketing his music since it didn't fit into any one category. He sure did cover the gamut of styles; he even does a cover of the theme from the Simpsons on this tape, along with a gorgeous rendition of the Beach Boys' In My Room, which sounds far more serious and weighty in Gatton's version.

Gatton was born and grew up in DC, and lived for a number of years at 88 Elmira Street, SE, the title of the tape I have. He later moved to southern Maryland. Because of my interest in local history, I find the photograph on the cover of the tape quite intriguing - it was taken at the address above many years ago, and shows a row of 19th-century houses on the left; on the right is a farm with a long driveway and a grand-looking mansion. I've looked up Elmira Street on my DC map and plan to head out there one of these days to see what happened to that magnificent farmhouse.

Dr. Mu - I like your take on the Reuter's thing. It just seems strange to me that they would be having doubts about releasing the CD right after they made the official announcement on their website - I'd think that D&W wouldn't have made that announcement if they weren't 100% certain about releasing it - the time for getting cold feet is long gone.

WB=Warner Brs.

Midnite: Yhat rules!!! You've got a Duane Allmans Walter Becker morph thing going yourself. Allan Holdsworth is a gem! You hit the key - effortless!

Can't find that Reuters thing: skeptical...but...Fagen is harder on himself than anyone and just screw WB. It's doubtful that he/they care what the rec. exec. weasels really think of the CD or Walter's singing anyway. Their (the weasels that is) fucking job is to sell product, take their stash, and shutup.

Dave on FL- just down the road

Long Live that Telecaaster Volume Thang - as long as you are one of the FEW who can actually pull it off

and with Roy - if you can pull it off at lightning speed, highly acuarately.

Q

St.Al....I agree that Jimmy Page is a very sloppy guitar player but of the trio usually mentioned together (Page, Beck, Clapton), Page is without a doubt the best songwriter and producer of the bunch. He never could quite nail the riffs cleanly but he wrote some incredible stuff. After Zep with it's input of Plant, Jones and Bonham he never really had the stuff and just kinda weirded out but I think he was a GREAT of that era. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong....*naaaaaaaaaaaaah*

Edd....Allan Holdsworth....oh yeah!!! Saw him in Winston-Salem in a small club back in 1990 and the man is not of this earth. Phenomenal guitarist with the best legato ever!!! He's a really nice guy who was very friendly to chat with after the show and indulged me to take my pic with him. It's right here:

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/6974/Allan-Jim.jpg

The man just played a 2 1/2 hour set and he looks fresh, I look like I'd been working all day! Great guy though.....great guitarist.

RoyScamp: When you were a kid, did you by any chance watch Beeny & Cecil?

Schwinn: Mine was Donovan's Greatest Hits, with the snazzy photos inside the jacket, like a magazine. I'm trying to remember the other 11. Let's see... The Mamas & The Papas, Dylan's Greatest Hits (y'know, with that poster), The Fifth Dimension, Three Dog Night, Chicago, ...that's all I can recall now.
All my old records either got burned by fire or accidentally thrown out in the garbage (don't ask). I hope you still have yours!

Clas: The Donovans? In your way, you outdid Schwinn. You can't help it!

rb

wait, there's more.

Midnight Cruiser Sidmight Bruiser not my fancy

Tire in the Hole... that's too flat.

drool kyn lower mississippi cousins

change of the guard - changs of the guard, Lew's buds

Durn that heartbent over again

Nikki don't lose that number - a post it from Prince stuck inside a magazine. lower the volume. i wanna hear you.

any major duds will kell you ...advice offered toward an unfortunate accident on the 4th of July

Barry Town -- Bunny Town. synchromultiplicity.

East St. Louis Toodle oo Eat St. Lou's Poodle (ewww) the korean tour

Through with Fuzz. shaved.

Charlip Freak hell's cunning linguist .
Monkey in your soup.... fur between your teeth... waiter!

Black Friday Black Fraidy don't be scared, it's only a movie

Bad Snaeikrs chortles for fractured feindish fairy fables and the morayeel of the story is....

Daddy don't live in that New Pork city anymore -- converted to Judaism.

Dr. Hu. while John Pertwee converts to Eckankar

The Caves of Altamira ... mm.. the mazes of altaMira. a labryinthical trip through a house of very tall mirrors... spanglish spoken with a boston accent

Your Gold Teeth Four Gild Teets ouch.

Kid Charlemagne .. someone took the 'mange' one already. let's see... Kid Charletagne medicine show.

groen earrings .. jeff and akbar play dress up. Pierce Braman shows up with appropriate tools.

Haitian Lavoris listerine with a paper umbrella.

the Royal Scam the Boyal Scar. Lancedalot?

Black Cow Slack Cot. need new hardware.

aja - aka

Deacon Blues Beacon Glue a strange mystery light, discovered in 1996, but only recently brought to the attention of the general public.

Peg -- Pez (fez'd)

Dome at Last capstone found... see beacon glue.

Josie JoniE electronic tale mail

Tome out of Mind a collection of stream of sometimes unconsciousness ramblings

Gilmour Progression fleudian slip

Thirt World Mar(s) Where's W(Al)do?

Snow Bound Snot Bound - blow by blow. that was bad. sorry, jeff.

Beashouse on the tracks .. andy and opie banish aunt bea to the other side due to bad pie. it's a mad, mad world.

On the Dunes - Of the Runes. bag of trysts

Gaucho Goucho

Walk Between the Raindrops Talk Bedweeb the Raindrips. cracked, geekspeed, trippin the light dangasmic. pocket protector unfolds out to makeshift umbrella

Cringemaker fringemaker , weird word weaver

Countermoon I still like Countermoon Pies.

My Waterloo My waterlow, must dig new well.

show biz kids slow bics kids sparks, flic flic cricket in my pocket.

Razor Boy Razor Roy Razor Box (see Snowbound)

Bodhisattva BodyO'sativa an Irish farmer's plot in Peking. Holy Potatoes, Dorothy, this ain't no fine columbian, why it's absolutely whacky, way weird, why are you wooking at me wike dat?

Pearl of the Quarter. Pears in the chartres. the sacred geometry of dances of bumblebees. yikes.

My Old School My Odd Spool. Mary Bobbins (mary poppins..great movie, btw)

I bought the Aja cd at a car boot/garage sale as my original had ben stolen from my car. To my surprise when I got it out of the case there were 2 cd's! One an A1 Aja and the other a cd entitled "In the Studio" It is a radio broadcast by a jock called "Redbeard". It feature quite a long and very interesting in-depth interview with D+W about the album.

Can any of you Danheads shed any light on this recording or wish to hear more or even get a cassette copy (is this legal -who cares?)

I look forward to reading your replies

Greetings from Loch Ness

Mr Nearly Dan

Marigold,uh-oh,Mu,Schwinn,Ole, Edd, edd-cetera.: Thank you for playing our one-letter-typo game; you've been lovely contestants and please pick up a copy of our home game as you leave the guestbook. Not only have I chuckled much, but I feel like Dr. Frankenstein. [One more try: Chair lightning = a popular brand of capitol punishment device.] -- Where else could one find a group of people dumb enough to play such a game and smart enough to come up with such good entries? In fact, I've decided to quit the real part of my existence and move in here with you people and live only virtually; should cut down expenses considerably.

KD: Good letter. But, at the risk of sounding like a Dad, please be advised that, as you get older, you'll notice that the proportion of profound things said while drunk diminishes. When I was 19, I had a petty good profundity/wasted rantings ratio; by the time I was 30 it had fallen to the point where the descent was already asymptotic. -- One more thing: Waymon Tisdale of the NBA is probably a lock for most combined jazz musicianship + basketball skill of any person alive. He can jam AND jam.

F#: Remember the line "Dishes are DONE, man." from the movie about the babysitter being dead?

As Mack the Seal said to the fish he was about to eat, "Only a food would say that."

RS

Hack Friday: the day the market closed at 300,000

Black Cow: the day the Guernsey Fair confirmed his suspicions...*

Orange Cow: the day Timothy Leary slipped a little sunshine into the BGH

dishes are done,promise.
F#

*he got the moos

Hello Everyone- Enjoyed some of the musical posts recently...a shame we lost Roy Buchanan...and Lost his friend and co-creator of that style of Guitar Danny Gatton. Both Hung out in the DC/Maryland area. Both created that" Make a Telecaster sound like a B-3 or pedal Steel" with the Volume control thing.
Edd-I wish you could have played Bass on a cut on my CD...next one?
Hello to Josie.
Finally mixing and Mastering...It won't be Steely Dan...but it will be something new anyway.I go between .."hey this is gonna be good!"...and "what the Hell was I thinking"
"with a cough I shake it off and work around my yellow stripe"

David

Ring of the World: Frodo Lives

Harley Freak: Dan and the Art of Motorpsycho Maintenance

Dome at Last: Bucky finally convinces his Mrs. Fuller to build a geodesic dream home

G I Y?: a protest song from '72

Midnight Hoosier: The Bird and his cronie out for a late game of HORSE

Phallus: a hot city and a bulging pocket

Burle of the Quarter: the old timer still knows how to hustle, "I got the jews"

oy vay baby
F#

KD - I thought what you wrote was beautiful, man.
A sincere testimonial if there ever was one !

H.

oh god...what the hell did I write last night

Clas: Shawn Colvin is a wonderful folkie type who broke into the majors and into mainstream consciousness with her tune "Sunny Came Home" although she's reputed to have kicking around the music scene for 15 or so years. Her alto vocal range was a wonderful complement to Jackson's and the vocal harmonies were transplendid.

My only crit of the overall show was that JB/Bonnie relied too heavily on recent material, and didn't give the folks what they really showed up to hear, which were the chestnuts from the days of old. Because the night's tune list was roughly divided in a 4-way share, it was inevitable that some fans were going to feel short-changed. I personally felt the night was a little heavy on Hornsby, whose pianistics get ponderous rather quickly. There's a sameness to his writing which allows a little of him go a long way.

Notwithstanding the above, it was a great show and Lindley is a musical treasure that more people should discover. I toyed with the notion of taping the show and regrettably did not do it. BIG mistake.

KD - seriously; quit the basketball. It aint good for you heart.

St Alphonzo - damn, you're funny! And please, next time you're buying tickets to a Jackson Browne show, send them to me. Or Jon. It aint no use to pay for a nap?

KatyDanFan - well, the thing is, I CAN'T leave. Thanks for thinking of me. Did I ever tell you about your... oh no. Okay, you got it.

Jon - man, I envy you! Tell me about this Shawn Colvin-guy, never heard of him/her.

RubyBaby - I wouldn't dream to outdo Schwinn here, but, my first record was also The Donovans. Great band.

C

"Kid Charlemange" - Character's hair falls out in clumps after bizarre accident in clandestine "Kibble's N Bits" lab...

ok...I ,r mreally drunk and this is what I sent off to the website that some call home. Oleander, you've done wonderful work and we all love it, but most of all, thank you for mentioning my beloved (and, soon, money making) NBA in your post. Anyway, this is what I sent to the men. It's all I can get out right now and my eyes are puffy and I didnt even proofread and too much vodka. Lord, don't we love this band.....

_________________________

God bless you guys. I mean it so much, you've given me so much and I hope to be able to give it back to you somehow, someday.

Yeah, I'm drunk again and it's been a while since I emailed you guys. Lord. Ok, so I've been scared recently of burning myself out on your music. So last Friday, the 20th, I listened to my gold CD of 'Aja' when we got back from partying, and it's been a week since I've listened to any Steely, any solo, or any bootleg (I mean, no! I mean, nevermind).

So, eight days, and it's been hell. I'm used to going to classes listening to 'Gaucho' on the headphones amigo or kicking back and blaring some 'Royal Scam', or playing guitar to 'Countdown', or listeing to "Pretzel Logic' or 'Katy Lied' in all their hi-fidelity glory (in spite of what you say), or playing the first album on the way to class or crying along to 'Aja.' I love you guys.

I love you guys.

I'm 19. I've had sex with my high school's homecoming queen. I play basketball almost daily. I buy my clothes at the most fashionable outlets and dye my hair and watch my acne closley. But I also love you guys so much So much. I started getting into jazz sophomore year of high school, then stopped. When I got into you guys heavily last year I got into jazz more (as is the natural progression, I sopund like an obvious idiot) and you wonderful men are all to blame for all my happiness.

Please. Please ( i have born in 1980 tears coming down my cheeks) release the new album. Your record is Giant, and they have nothing. WB (the record company) might be putting off a front, but don't believe. Be yourselves. We love yourselves, and I speak for millions. God bless you guys and just keep doing whatever makes you happy...

peace,

Kelly Dwyer

Kudos to Katy. Hahahaha. My good friend, Ransom Rentworth, will be compiling the "Best of Roy's Fun Game" to be presented on this GB in the near future.

Ruby Baby: The first record I ever bought was Donovan's Sunshine Superman.

And just because it's a fun game...

The Boston Fag: Tell all your buddies that you lost your pants.

Any Major Nude: I've never seen you hangin' so low my chunky one.

When Dove's Fry,

SEMB

...make that The Royal Scram....or even The Loyal Scam...

RoyScam - That was a neat idea you shared and I thoroughly enjoyed everyone's responses---LOL---what a witty bunch in here.

Josie -- Hey, sister! Great to see you are posting again! Yes, the landscape does change "up there," doesn't it? Bet it was great to be where there's low humidity, at least normally speaking. (btw, Posie -- a person without poise?)

KD --- I have that same malady you described regarding Gaucho! Others around me I guess are saying, "Oucho, not Gaucho" again!

Clas---I had scrolled back as far as my eyes would take me a few days ago, and I thought you left us. Glad you didn't!

Altamira --- You're still so willing to be patient and explain and expain yourself to people. You sure know how to take constructive AND destructive criticism well! (The Cares of Altimira)

Speaking of explaining oneself, I forgot who but someone commented about one of my favorites, Jerome! Gosh, I don't know his whole background (I'll ask ES) but as for me, I accepted him as someone Don and Walt must surely like and have affection for, and felt that the band is laughing not at, but with him, as he is obviously enjoying his role. I never pictured Don and Walt using a person's weak area to make him look superfoolish on stage with them! To me, Jerome added something to the night (maybe I have a warped sense of humor?) Anyway, I'm still laughing but Jerome, not at you, with you!

Special for El Supremo:

KatyDied -- condition of Just Katy before you walked in...

Oh and ES, honey, we did have a great vacation in Texas and I'm so happy you're still totally in love with me (ditto), but...did you really mean to post that three times? You'll get the posting police all riled up again.

Here are a few more for anyone to define, as it's getting too late for any more heavy thinking.

RoyScram
Olepander
Dr. Mu!
Walk Between Braindrops (cheated a little there)
Don't Make Me Alive
Bad Speakers
Town in the Bottom of the Wine Dark Sea
The Boston Gag
Any Major Rude Will Tell You
Monkey in Your Soup?
Mime out of Mind
Third World Dan
Countermoan

ohhhhh....that's enough

Just Katy :)

"I'm not happy with what we came up with, and the record company doesn't seem to like Walter's singing..."

I don't know about the rest of you but THAT doesn't sound like DF to me!

fezo: Spirit In The Night - the only Springsteen song I care about.

Joker/Oleander: lab site? humidore? Is there a fungus amongus?

Hammy: let's meet at Spinners and look around one Saturday afternoon...

Edd & others: One of the first records I ever purchased was Donovan. I was 10. I sent Columbia Records a penny and they sent me 12 albums of my choice. My parents shit several bricks, had a few cows, but in the end, I had my dozen. How did I know that I had to buy 6 more at regular club prices?

Altamira: Ah, a fellow SD dreamer!

Clas: Your song titles cracked me up the most! Anthony, too.

Razor: Your suspicions are correct.

rb

(new york)- Despite working on a new album for the past three years Steeely Dan principals Walter Becker and Donald Fagen may decide not to release the album at all. When pressed for comments at a recent New York concert that he was attending Fagen quipped, "I am not happy with what we came up with, and the record company doesn't seem to like Walter's singing...."

Clas: Just saw JB w/Bonnie Raitt, Shawn Colvin, Hornsby and Lindley and, I swear, it made me weep. Jackson and Bonnie STILL have it and couldn'y get rid of it if they wanted to!

St. Al, I completely understand your response and agree with you as regards "great/GREAT", but he did create real and timeless and unsurpassed(not saying "best" -just none "better") rock beauty on many studio LP's - other than that I'm with you 100%.

I also recognize how much Plant ,Jones, and Bonham contributed to the "rock art" they putout.

Q

Hey, shit happens. I was trying to correct a message with a typ in it and it went to the list. Don't laugh, it might happen to you one of these days.

Cry in the Wilderness - I don't rave, as you would know if you actually read my posts. They tend to be quite short.

I would gather from the name you use that you imagine yourself to be like John the Baptist, or Baptizer, depending on tradition. If that is so, then I would expect you to write something prophetic that will bring us some great new insight and rouse us to action. I am looking forward to your next post.

F#Maj - I enjoy your posts; very witty and imaginative.

I had a dream about Donald Fagen last night. He was in a local book/music store signing copies of a new short, humorous book he had written and illustrated about the music business. Fagen was polite and pleasant, and answered people's questions. I wanted to ask him about the New One, but I figured that he knew we were all curious about it, and if he had something to say, he would have done so. Two young women came up to me and asked me about the person signing books; I asked them if they had heard of Steely Dan and they hadn't. After Fagen left the store, I found a briefcase full of original drawings, including some self protraits; I wanted to give it to the store manager since I thought that Donald might want it back. But beforehand I wanted to take it to the nearby copy shop, since I wanted copies of those drawings.

A Cry in the Wilderness - I don't rave, as you'd know if you actually read my posts. What I write tends to be rather short, withe exception of this post since I haven't written in a while.

Judging from the name you use, I would gather that you imagine yourself to be like John the Baptist, or Baptizer, depending on tradition. If that is the case, then I would expect you to write something prophetic that would provide a wonderful new insight and rouse us all to action. I will read your next post with great interest.

Dan Cashman - I have an eleven-inch-long steel plate in my right leg, so I can relate. I could have it removed, since the bone has now healed, but I just don't like surgery much.

F#maj - I enjoy your posts; quite imaginative and witty.

I had a dream about Donald Fagen last night. He was in a local book/music store and was signing copies of a short, humorous book about the music business that he had written and illustrated. He was pleasant and polite, and answered people's questioned. I wanted to ask about the New One, but I figured that he knew we were all curious about it, and if he wanted to say something about it, he could have. I met two young women who asked me about the person signing books; I asked them if they'd heard of Steely Dan, they said they hadn't. After Fagen had left the store, I found a briefcase containing a number of his original drawings, including some self-portraits. I wanted to give it to the store manager so Donald could get it back, but I wanted to take it to the nearby copy shop first so I could make some copies of these great drawings.

Roy's fun game is driving me rapidly insane. Symptoms are pretty heinous. Right now I have "Purple Rain" in the CD player and am about to launch a full scale search for my long lost Barry Manilow discs.

the raves of altimira - self explanitary
now please stop the punning

Sorry Hammy. All of a sudden you're a Jewish booking agent or maybe you own a music store. I gotta go regroup.

H.

Sorry about the duplication. Don't know what happened there.

RS - Good one-liner! That was the best laugh I've had all
week.

By the way.. could Benny Markowitz possibly be Billy Joel?

Manny - The new one will be out the first quarter of 2000 so we're told.

God I hope that kid gets his Motorola pager. Hell, I'll send him a clean shirt !
Hutch

RS - That was a good one-liner. Best laugh I've had all
week !!

By the way... could Benny Markowitz possibly be Billy Joel ?

Hammy - The new one is due first quarter of 2000 so we're told.

Hutch

"Gauche"--clumsy ode to left-handedness
"Midnight Bruiser"--Felonious' bodyguard
"Fight By Night"--what you do with the cringemaker
"Glamour Procession"--the Grammys
"SM"--radio for the black leather bunch
"Net Frontier"--Nightfly for the millennium
"The Goodbye Kook"--nickname of most recent serial killer
"Florida Roof"--what's on top of the Florida Room, duh
"Herm At The Western World"--our sociable friend gets out and mixes with the population
"On the Dunks"--SD's coming NBA theme
"Aba"--Swedish group covers the Dan
"The Royal Scat"--Ella Fitzgerald covers the Dan

Stop me before I will again

Dan,
Will coat and tie be required for the wire biting?

RS

They call me Steely Dan cause I got more steel in my body than bones. I'm a dare devil. I'll do anything. I've not only broken every bone in my body, I've destroyed them all too. My skull is 93% steel. I have a totally steel pelvis, so you can imagine what women look like when I get done with them! Last year my ankle started to rust and it wasn't under warranty anymore! Tried to repair it myself (I'm a dare devil) but ended up with blood poisoning. Had to get a new one. I'm like the tin man. I need oil, man. My knee caps are magnetic after a lightening strike last September and I have to stay away from tool boxes. I got too close just before I jumped off a speeding tow truck and I was covered with screw drivers and wrenches when I hit the pavement. I lost an eye in that one. If you ever want to see a real Steely Dan, come see me on the 28 of September when I climb up a utility tower in a power plant and bite all the high voltage wires!

Friends of the vinyl groves: AS an SD fan from the first primordial recordings, what a treat to stumble onto this site enjoyed by fellow appreciators of Becker/Fagen work! Sure would appreciate any late breaking wind concerning the secret release date. Anybody out there? The people down the hall know who you are and that's good. hammy

Readying Monkey House best-of (ANTHOLOGY 1992-1999) for fall release. Will include remastered version of our only-in-print version of Fagen's "Lazy Nina" as well as music, new and old, of a similar ilk (some of it endorsed by Metal Leg!). Inquiries to gdolphin@globalserve.net

Clas: I might add Jackson Browne was the only concert I've ever actually fallen asleep at. Wife had to elbow me cause I was sawing logs right in the middle of a quiet part zzzzzz...

Clas: Are you serious about that Jackson Browne shit?

Hello my fellow GBers'
I just got back from a trip up to northern Minnesota, mostly along the north shore of Lake Superior ( Which just reminded me of how very much I miss the ocean. ) Drove up to Canada, had me a real good time eh! Which made me think ( Oh My GOD!!! ) Is it just my imagination or, does the landscape really change as much as I thought it did? Any comments?

Thanks to all of you who gave suggestions on latin jazz albums/artists to check out, much appreciated!

Herm: I have a bone to pick with you!! If you don't wish to speak with me anymore, just say so. Please don't blow me off though.

Sister Katy: Hello!! I'm glad you had fun..**wink.

David: Love ya man..

Hutch: e-mail me sometime the address is :
josiedanfan1@prodigy.net

Talk to you later!!
JDF

P.S. Aja goes well with road trips, especially stressful ones, it mellowed me out good, when the mac truck cut in front of my vehicle, and we almost plowed right into it, it put on some Home at Last and Josie ( no way was I going to listen to Deacon )and was calmed by Don's awesome voice..just thought I'd share, near death experiences make me talkative, or typative in this case
:o)...adios

Rat Too Flat - steamroller accident in the animalistic world. The rat is recovering at Memorial Hospital in room 6 and 7.

The Look In Your Ass, I Don't Mind - a straight mans answer in San Fransisco.

Wow, 90 minutes with Jackson Browne on TV yesterday. Great. What a man. Such pathos and melancholy. Cool. And David Lindley must have inspired , what's that guns name again?, Derringer, a lot.

Does anybody know who wrote the book "The Making of Bruce Springsteen"? I heard that CIA is writing his lyrics.

My son throw a Dave Matthews Cd at me the other day. I played it. That wasn't funny. StAl - are you serious about that shit?

Sven - go for the feel, howl like a wolfe.

THE STRANGER - nice talking to you!

Hi Rubybaby.

Where's T Collins? Sometimes I wonder what guys like me and Schwinn and... and.. are doing up front when we have guys like T Collins.

C

Only A Foot Would Say That: "Paul's Bunion is killing me!"

Dirty Pork: Not to be confused with clean fish.

Slowbiz Kids: All those Muzak, Rap and Karoke revenues have made the boys even more fashionably late.

Tire In The Hole: A frequent occurrence when driving through Mississippi.

Don't Take Mo Alive: The common rallying cry of Larry, Curly and Shemp after suffering one of Mo's humiliating verbal and physical abuses.

Ok, I'm really done not. (I mean "now".)

SEMB

Rikki Don't Lose That Lumber: Or at least tie a yellow ribbon around it so a board doesn't stick through somebody's windshield.

Barker's Band: Some of you may too young to remember Bob Barker and the Radar Range but they were THE reason to watch Truth or Consequences.

Throw Mack The Little Ones: Even though Mack, the ball-balancing seal at Sea World, would like to eat Shamu, his appetite is bigger than his stomach.

Ant World: A positively fascinating display especially when you toss a couple of grasshoppers in.

Monkey In Your Soup: To be expected when dining in Borneo.

Hey this is fur! (I mean fun!)

SEMB

Allan Holdsworth

Allan Holdsorth and Dan fans might want to check out None too Soon, his last effort, from 1996 which has more of a "traditional" jazzy feel that the sulfuric acid jazz fusion of most of his work from the 80s with less of the synthaxe. Really great stuff - maybe one of his best although I haven't heard a majority of his discography. Those superfluid and flawless runs with an edge. He has often been able to take a solo to the limits while knowing when to reel it in. More fusion oriented Wardenclyffe Tower and Hard Hat Area have some nice stuff - one called Dodgy Bay sounded really lyrical. He would have been absolutely awesome on 11 TOW or new one (too much to hope for?)

I saw him in concert at a small club in Baton Rouge in 1986 about the time of the release of the Atavachron album which featured the "synthaxe for the first time. It was a stunning 2 hour viruoso performance of musicianship and technical wizardry - fuckin' amazing! After the show while we were fumbling around the floor trying to find our jaws, he sat down with the crowd that stayed around and had dinner and beer with us. He talked about philosophy, music, politics, aswered questions... Was as cool, humble, intellegent, funny, and interesting as one could ever hope for - what a night!

Ditty Work: the process of transforming a 16 bar blues and chorus into a jazz/pop masterpiece

Only a Tool Would Say That: suggested intro. for each flame in this venue

Your Sold Teeth: the reason Charlie Freak peddled his precious stone

Bloomfield is the king of all that is good and fair. Butterfield Blues, Electric Flag, and Super Session cannot be stopped.

Didn't know Bonham was on Hurdy Gurdy Man, which is related to Super Session with the version of "Season of the Witch" which I did at a high school talent thing two years ago whilst adding G. Love and "YGT II" lyrics.

I always (always, more like, "for the last year...") thought that Becker's solos on Aja were very Bloomfield like, bluesy and laid back and with so much damn taste.

My dad told me he heard the song 'Gaucho' on muzak at a super market a week ago, he being re-introduced to the song through me and my incessant blaring of it.

Page has a metric ton of mistakes in his playing, its fun sometimes and annoying as hell other times. Especially that a capella "Heartbreaker" solo. Still, for kids starting up, he's the place to go. I started playing in 92 when I was 12, and even though Led Zep wasn't my favorite band, by the second year I knew more of their stuff than any other band. A good place to begin with, and get back to the roots from there. If there was one good thing Page did (besides stealing royalty checks from Willie Dixon), it was his innovative acoustic work.

Hey DF, WB, if'n you didn't take so long with that wonderful new piece of work, we wouldn't be talking about other bands on here. But we got much love fo y'all, uptown baby.

Going to play some ball...

JWMalibu: ya, instant analog gratification. slow down the tuplets and you have the Lido Shuffle

PPP Bulletin#1: it's freakin'pr's jurisdiction unless you have probable cause to search the trunk. come and get me copper...

Edd: wonderful. brevity is the soul of wit. i take note. That was Page (if i get your point) grinding the hurdy gurdy- as perfect a solo as Kid C? arguable. moments of brilliance in the right company.

Oleander: fever dream thanks. can you send ice...

PPP Bulletin#2: F#maj9,#9,#9,#9... these charges will never stick. what's the record?

Schwinn: lovely metaphor and point well taken.

StAl: I still occasionally listen to Crossroads and Sitting On Top of the World (from the perfect solos file) and accept that Clapton has transformed. He aspired to be a songwriter and found an audience- but met with harsh judgements from those who would prefer he had not. There are plenty of brilliant moments beyond Cream/Delaney and Bonnie/D&Ds but it's a very different Clapton not for every one of the old fans. Thoughts on Bloomfield?

a Ferris Wheel ride sounds good- as soon as i find my way out of the fun house...

F#maj9

Awwright Roy- cool game! Here are mine.

The Royal Spam- mystery meat fit for a queen
The Pez- You know, that one cool candy! If only we could get Pez dispensers with Don and Walt on them we'd be in business.
Razor Toy- Not for childern under 3.
Nook of Liars- The Oval Office
Slack Friday- Every Friday!

Hello DanFanDom!

Indeed, it has been a very long time since 'posting' in St. Al's Guestbook, so it is good to know everyone is still up to par with their game.

So, when is the damn release of "Two Against Nature" or "The New One" or "Mr. Whatever, Mr. Whenever"???

Yes, Gil Paris(sp) is an excellent guitarist, and one that Don and Walt should consider when planning their tour band, whenever the Hell that will be. Listening to many of their live '93-94-96 sets---Don and Walt would say, "We'll definitely be back here next year"---yeah, right.

Anyway, has there been any new word on the release of the remasters of "Royal Scam", "Aja", or "Gaucho", please advise.

YES, KatyDanFan and I had a wonderful vacation, and when we stopped for a moment under the shade, the restaurant with the awning out had just started playing "Walk Between The Raindrops" from "The Nightfly" album. WOW, talk about a "DanMoment" with my lovely wife, and we just laughed at how Steely Dan music always "pops up" at some of the strangest places, and the strangest times.

Hoping all is well with you, keep smiling, keep hoping to see Steely Dan or listen for the new one, or win Oleander's prizes for guessing the release date.

Until later,

I remain totally in love with you, JustKatyDanFan---ILYM/HSRD

Cheers!

ES

Hello DanFanDom!

Indeed, it has been a very long time since 'posting' in St. Al's Guestbook, so it is good to know everyone is still up to par with their game.

So, when is the damn release of "Two Against Nature" or "The New One" or "Mr. Whatever, Mr. Whenever"???

Yes, Gil Paris(sp) is an excellent guitarist, and one that Don and Walt should consider when planning their tour band, whenever the Hell that will be. Listening to many of their live '93-94-96 sets---Don and Walt would say, "We'll definitely be back here next year"---yeah, right.

Anyway, has there been any new word on the release of the remasters of "Royal Scam", "Aja", or "Gaucho", please advise.

YES, KatyDanFan and I had a wonderful vacation, and when we stopped for a moment under the shade, the restaurant with the awning out had just started playing "Walk Between The Raindrops" from "The Nightfly" album. WOW, talk about a "DanMoment" with my lovely wife, and we just laughed at how Steely Dan music always "pops up" at some of the strangest places, and the strangest times.

Hoping all is well with you, keep smiling, keep hoping to see Steely Dan or listen for the new one, or win Oleander's prizes for guessing the release date.

Until later,

I remain totally in love with you, JustKatyDanFan---ILYM/HSRD

Cheers!

ES

Hello DanFanDom!

Indeed, it has been a very long time since 'posting' in St. Al's Guestbook, so it is good to know everyone is still up to par with their game.

So, when is the damn release of "Two Against Nature" or "The New One" or "Mr. Whatever, Mr. Whenever"???

Yes, Gil Paris(sp) is an excellent guitarist, and one that Don and Walt should consider when planning their tour band, whenever the Hell that will be. Listening to many of their live '93-94-96 sets---Don and Walt would say, "We'll definitely be back here next year"---yeah, right.

Anyway, has there been any new word on the release of the remasters of "Royal Scam", "Aja", or "Gaucho", please advise.

YES, KatyDanFan and I had a wonderful vacation, and when we stopped for a moment under the shade, the restaurant with the awning out had just started playing "Walk Between The Raindrops" from "The Nightfly" album. WOW, talk about a "DanMoment" with my lovely wife, and we just laughed at how Steely Dan music always "pops up" at some of the strangest places, and the strangest times.

Hoping all is well with you, keep smiling, keep hoping to see Steely Dan or listen for the new one, or win Oleander's prizes for guessing the release date.

Until later,

I remain totally in love with you, JustKatyDanFan---ILYM/HSRD

Cheers!

ES

Tome At Last = Self-help group for blocked writers

Singemaker = A brand of BBQ charcoal

Flunky Girl = Maid service catering to rich spoiled whiners

I Got The Mews = A feline boarding kennel

etc

I just happened upon the results of a nationwide contest wherein the contestants were to change one letter of a foreign language expression, and come up with a clever definition. The winners were entries such as:
haste cuisine = fast French food, and,
rigor morris = the cat is dead.

Immediately, the damaged part of my brain started wondering if I could, in good conscience, do the same thing with Steely Dan song titles. No, I decided; but did it anyway:
Do Id Again = to resume psychiatric treatment.
Hay 19 = an experimental cattle food being developed by Dupont.
East St. Louis Toodle Log = a sex toy, regionally popular in the Illinois / Missouri area.
Black cod = A drink made with cola and fish.

This is the kind of thing you do when you're a fan of the procrastinatingest band in rock history.

Ed: I thought that Hurdy Gurdy song sounded a little too electric to be pure Donovan. Good tidbit.

RS

fezo: Great point about Jon Landau. I heard once the rest of the band really resented his intrusion from BTR onward. Maybe that's why Lopez and Sancious quit. Jeez, I should take the time now to volunteer to co-produce Steely Dan's "Next one" in 2020!

St. Al., Rix: I think that Page peaked in technique with the Yardbirds, but then with Beck and Clapton in and out who wouldn't? Having said that I'm not a true Zep fan. The proof is that to my ear In Through the Out Door is their best album (and their last) where Plant's influence whas heaviest because of Page's "toasty" condition!

Holdsworth is God!! He and Bruford worked together on the first album by a band called UK about 1979. Great, if a little overbearing, stuff!

Possibly interesting tidbit...

Jimmy Page, Alan Holdsworth - electric guitars
John Paul Jones - electric bass
John Bonham, Clem Clatini - drums

Vocals and acoustic guitar? Donovan Lietch

Song title? "Hurdy Gurdy Man"

Mu; when I was in high school my girl-friend had a promo copy of "Asbury Prk". I don't know where she got it, mainly because when I heard it I didn't care where it came from; just wanted to send it back. It's sad when the cover-version of a song is better than the author's version. Further evidence of the lack of ability "The Boss" repeatedly shows.

St. AL; I totally agree that Page is over-rated. Arguably, the most over-rated guitarist in R&R history. Any adequate blues-rock guitarist could've filled his roll in the band and most could've done it better. The fact is that the two best things ZEP had going for them were the vocals of Plant and the bass-playing of J.P.J. and some opportunistic marketing. Plant's vocals were the ear-mark of the band.

You guys are correct, Bruce wrote "Blinded...", and I agree that Manfred Mann's version was far more clever in terms of arrangement ~ tweak 'dem resonant filters, Manfred! Liked that "Vermeer equation", F#!

Here's another one for you!

Q, buddy, you have GOT to be kidding! Jimmy Page is one of the sloppiest, most overrated guitarists of the bunch. I grew up on Zep. Lived and breathed the shit. Once I started listening to bootlegs and not studio stuff I found how just how fucked up his playing really is/was. Don't get me wrong, I WISH I could play as bad as he does, but to compare him with Roy, Beck and CLapton is a joke. Page is great, but he's not GREAT.

How's that for an opinion? Let it fly baby -- got my asbestos t on!

Clapton overrated...yeah right.

StAl

OLE: churchill's ain't the same without you, and hey - it WAS good to see you again, you know.
)the LAB site is coming along nicely(

i gotta hand it to St. Al - making websites can be a real bitch. any of you think you can do better than this man has done here, you should try putting together a site once
[and i mean one that folks can actually use.......}!

somebody wake up clas, i'm ODing on ellipses...........jo'ker

I believe that Clapton had Collins forced upon as a producer/collaborator for those two albums in the 1980's. The record company wanted Eric to record more "hits" so Collins was pulled in. This was back when Collins was everywhere, doing songs with Philip Bailey and one of those Abba women. Somehow Eric doesn't quite fit within that list.

I can't believe no one has mentioned "Spirit of the Night" as one of the pre-Born to Run Bruce classics. It kicks "Rosalita's" ass.

I wonder sometime if Bruce was served badly musicwise (as opposed to promotionwise) by his association with Landau which started with BTR. I believe Landau gets co-production credits on all of the albums since and he seems to have brought a Spectorlike "Wall of Sound" hollowness to a lot of the songs, at least the ones that are recorded with a full band. Think of the songs that sound so much better (and different) on the live album like "Darlington County" and "No Surrender". And think how much better Bruce's stuff sounds on his "solo" albums like "Nebraska" and "Tunnel of Love" where production and contributors are kept to a minimum.

Want a laugh? Check out Jewel's best selling poetry book. It gives new meaning to the word pretentious. And the word bad. And the word talentless. Her publisher is trying to get the drivel into the school systems so my wife (who's a middle school teacher) came home with a promotional copy. It's a hoot.

Rix: You are correct I believe. Blinded by the Light was written for Greetings from Asbury Park (1973). I don't have that one, from what I remember it had sort of a quirky folk/Dylanesque sound which I didn't really dig either...not a fully realized vision.

Schwinn; as I recall, Bruce actually wrote this song. Am I mistaken? It was on his first album, I think.

Mu: I had no idea Columbia was going to drop Bruce if Born to Run didn't render a hit. I was listening to free-form AOR radio back in those days and thought BTR was a weak follow-up to TYTI&TESS until I saw Bruce on the cover of Time. Then I was happy for him because I knew his success was a culmination of everything he'd done, not contingent on a single work. Maybe it was the clever B&W cover with Bruce on the front and Clemmons on the back. Sort of like Ebony and Ivory. Politically correct at the time.

And as far as "Blinded By the Light" goes, I greatly prefer Manfred's version over Bruce's anyday. I seldom like covers unless they're goose-down filled. And that's a blanket statement.

The Machinist Climbs His Ferris Wheel Like a Brave,

SEMB

single

encouraged to produced a hit sing/album

Don't mean to suggest that the Dan would have dropped if PL were not a hit, just that they were encouraged to do so.

Don't think he's had much to say since Tunnel of Love which does have some real nice songs as mentioned. This board amazes me sometimes. Didn't know there were othees who championed The Wild, The Innocent as Bruce's best - but then I don't get out much. Perhaps in this case it *was* the shoes - I mean the band. David Sancious and drummer Vinny lopez left before Born to Run. note: Born was in a sense his Pretzel Logic to an extreme, in that if he didn't have a hit (and not my Manfred Mann), he was to be dropped by the label.

Anyway, the point is that THAT E Sreet Band was not so much a backup, as in future albums, but were weaving their own stories along with Springsteen's seprentine tales. Lopez was a nice "fill" drummer with interplayed better with Garry Tallant the bassist than Max Weinberg. He was also looser and jazzier allowing the band to do a lot more with a song. In contrast Born in the USA was pretty straightforward - kinda predictable in production. Sancious also added nice touches and more of that jazzy. The tuba and fake accordion on Billy crack me up. Kitty's back in town is one of his best featuring a pretty decent and focused jam in the middle - something they didn't do or were capable of later on.

"... soliciting stuffed shirts stoically seated surrounding some solitary slab of walnut... "

You're under arrest. You broke the nine-in-a-row rule on that one.

Oleander & F#maj9

Where can the rest of us get some o that shit yer takin' ???

Freakin': ya. Tuck Andress is not a household word but somehow the "system" enables us to hear him. There are still genuine A&R people who know it when they encounter it. It, i submit, can only exist as the soul tetrahedron born by a whole bunch of truncated
units below it with faces like the trapezoidal inlays of a '59 les paul standard [Edd- ya,ha. it wasn't a typo! someone got it. cool].

The math i mean goes like this- 1 Vermeer:100,000,000 stick figures (give or take a few hundred thou).

The dog eat dog eat dog cruel reality of food chain sociobiology requires layers upon layers upon layers of primary producer supported hoardes of vertically increasing complexity culminating with that which growls and claws and snorts "it's shredding time" but i don;t mean this in a bad way.

and the carrying capacity of the "environment" imposes naturally selective limits on room at the top. but i'm not talking Darwin i'm talking corporate capitalism. Tuck's movable chord melodies aren't moving air waves tonight because he CAN'T sell. The hoardes at the base of the food chain can't digest his complex carbochord-ates. his chord-o-hydrates. They are hungry for simple sugars.

Have you seen that show you can win a million dollars? According to the newspaper this is a Monster. a Smash. instant Phenom. "HOLY FUCK" [trying to slip Danisms in where ever possible]. This is our culture? I mean, this is our culture. This is the mentality targeted: the base of the pyramid which somehow allows stuff to defy the great heat death of entropy and float over shoulders. The stick figure drawers are Required. without them, statististickally, you get no pastrami from Modigliani. They're just doing their jobs... not a trace of irony in this post. not a speck of cereal. i mean this wholeheartedly: this is precisely what it takes, freakin'p, to get one Tuck (also, a nice L5)

i am not being cynical to exclude the remotest pilobosity of "The Tuck Andress Hour" with special guests. It cannot happen. But his disc precisely wrecks me; there's some of me over there- and there goes more of me over there. I'm the Edmund Fucking Fitzgerald. Who would dare to put this out??? can you imagine the scene, the A&R guy waving the acetate wildly in the air soliciting stuffed shirts stoically seated surrounding some solitary slab of walnut in a cushy highrise in LA..."gentlemen, this will sell a hundred thousand units!!! we'll at least break even!!!"

why do they say yes? (and what is the digital equiv. of an acetate? baby, i'm out of time) because Mannudo just made them $57mil and they can drop some chump change on Tuck. what- he needs a phat tube mic and 5 hours? "book 'em Dan-o, Artistry-1"

Tuck gets his deal because they can afford to not make any Money off of him. It takes one pyramid to get Tuck- and another one to bring him to us. It's a pyramid of a different colour.
something like that.

Will it help if everyone with a computer can MP3 themselves into an uploaded new millenium? i submit: it will be great fun to circumlo-pute the corporate capitalist music biz with free (or send a buck if you can) unlimited access to audiences searching for the next Bobby Fisher and musicians who believe they might be he. him. all of 'em.
But,it will not produce another one any faster. It'll be about 500 years as scheduled? something like that. And, finally, folks [much like those who lurk and then complain about how boring it is in here] can post complaints about all the crappy independent music clogging up the net [who cannot play a note themselves of any interest or they would be jamming...]

something like that

F#major9/stick figure

JoKah--You must be FLOATIN'! You takin' good care of my humidor?

All you Boss debaters--My big problem with him is that glockenspiel or whatever. Drives me nuts. But, but there are 2 transcendent things: "Rosalita" and their cover of "Blinded By the Light."

Sherlock--No WAY. As you must know by now.

f#--O ye of little faith: your Rose/ vibrator thing is ensconced in fever dreams. PS--strum und twang?

Freakin'--Tuck & Patti, yeah. I saw them several years back. They are in my Pantheon of Awe if only for Tuck doing "I Wish."

Reunion--I may not reveal my sources,on pain of disbarment from the Tomorrow's Girls chapter of the Babylon Sisters, but the Sistahs you mentioned, in addition to unidentified others still on the GB, have joined an underground militia of female DanFans and are preparing for a guerrilla action, a pincer thing on Hyperbolic in Maui and the studio in NYC, clad in Diana Riggear and pearls, armed with their charms and a Secret Weapon I would self-destruct to mention (but you have heard of Medusa, haven't you?), bulked up on lisa's hyperbolic cuisine, jammin', hyped, tanned, rested, and ready, to spring The New One from its bonds of lapidary iteration and unleash it like ice-nine on an unsuspecting world, and make its Makers very happy men indeed, and give back all the commas.

Globe--Thanx. I was in tears.

RS--And then I was breathless imagining the Steely Dan answering machine scene. You are still The Man.

minah--so glad to see you. Hogs & cusses.

JW, Midnite--Great stories. Thanx and happy full moon.

Herm--Now you know I never give advice, and that said, why don't you try EVERTING your environs? Then you'd be standing on a mountaintop like George in "Yellow Submarine," all those bracing and inspiring thoughts playing around your moss-trimmed curls. How could you NOT create? Then again, you could join me in transport listening to Herbie Hancock play "YGT II" with a few of his friends--Michael Brecker, Paul Scofield, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, and Don Alias. For that matter, you should hear them do "Mercy Street" and "All Apologies." I will be glad to send you a tape by TrogMail if you will just let Dennis dress his own bad self.

Joe M--Tipster supreme, "New Standard" is like WOW.

BATMAN: i await no album now. I have what i need.

- well, i COULD use a couple of gallons of pure water, a bit of beer and maybe a life preserver -

What about my boy Robin. I think he kicks booty.

Midnight Cruiser,

Thanks for the great Roy Buchannan personal encounter story.
He was a true and as you said greatly under - appreciated artists- his wor is staggering.

I must agree whole heartedly about Jimmy Page - he is a genius as both a writer and a gutarist.

Beck is awesome, but I agree with your analysis there too(!)

OK - how about and Steve Howe, Adrian Belew and Al Dimeola on electric NOT acoustic ?

Q

J, would you be interested in selling copies of that to young boys like me?

Hello gang. I haven't written lately. I honestly don't know what you folks are talking about most of the time. And this may be old news but I just got the CDr "Signs of a Lifetime of Leisure" And boy is it good.

Why didn't they use Sam or I got the news (you never heard it like this before) on the box set???? Different versions of demos from Katy . . . a new instrumental. Donald at the piano singing Black Cow -knocks me out! Here are the songs if you don't know.

Love Julie

ida lee

stone piano

don't let me in

black cow (piano only demo #1)

black cow (piano only demo #2)

black friday *

doctor wu *

daddy don't live in NYC no more *

i got the news (radically different version)

chain lightening *

bad sneakers *

rose darling *

throw back the little ones *

mr. sam **

everyone's gone to the movies *

your gold teeth II * (instrumental only)

the caves of altamira

untitled instrumental

Editor Jim - Hey, you can misspell my name any time you want; I enjoy the variety.

I agree, Sociable Hermit. And one of the only rockers to have walked that line successfully, IMHO, is good old Neil Young.

Herm - I know why you're a hermit. You got a lotta time to think(and you do it well) Your observations about Clapton and survival in the music business are right on the money IMO.

Consult with altimera as far as length is concerned. Well, maybe not. Nevermind.

Editor Jim

(guess I should have re-read that before I submitted it)

Length shouldn't matter as much as girth of ideas. I guess it comes down to how much you can handle before it hurts you.

LDS

Is There A Length Limit?

The other thing I forgot to mention is the Catch-22 an artist can get involved in: if you don't change or adapt to the times, people call you a dinosour - stuck in the past and unable to evolve. But then, if you become successful performing in one peticular style, then change it, even slightly, people complain that you are trying to appeal to the masses and selling out. You are either going to forsake the old fans for the new, or blow off the possible new fans for the old. So what do you do? Keep playing the music that you always played and get labeled as passe, or change and get called a sell-out? Obviously, it's not as black and white as that, but you'll have to agree it is a very fine line that one has to walk in order to maintain success and adulation.

Later,

Herm

If you're in the Tidewater area of Virginia, check out FM 106.9 sometime this week. They're featuring the top 20 classic rock acts of the century, one per week; this week is Steely Dan week (significantly coming in at number 19). They're playing many SD records and airing bits of interviews; this morning they played a segment wherein Fagen said "People thought we were a country band because the first single (Dallas) was a ballad and we used steel guitar." -- An unusual degree of recognition for a generally underated band. Still, I would have put them in the top three, but I'll settle for 19.

Marigolds: Yes, Ben Stiller's impression of Springsteen recording his answering machine message was hilarious. I was thinking he could do a similar recurring skit about Becker and Fagen trying to record their message but never finishing it due to: not liking any of the takes, calling in outside people to speak parts of phrases, changing the acoustics in the room, agonizing over the lengths of pauses between words, accidentally damaging or inadvertantly erasing the finished tape, etc.

RS

Hey,

I think the point that is getting lost in all of this debate is the fact that many people are dismayed with Clapton because he burst on the scene in the early-mid '60's as such an incredible interpreter of the blues, (that is, for being a white man), that when he veered of that course, it seemed like a sell-out and a travesty. Well, I say, "so what?" Really. So what if the man likes playing and recording so-called "pop songs"? I don't ever hear anyone complain about the Rolling Stones doing it, and they were supposedly weened on the Chicago blues greats. Steve Winwood is another guy that gets ripped apart because he's straying from tradition. And when he does, he's branded with the dubious title of "blue-eyed soulster", meaning it's good, but it's not legitimate.

This is all nonsence. If a person, no matter what their upbringing, is able to write a good pop song, and has a penchant for it, then why not do it? The reasons for not doing it, sadly are many. "Sellout" is one thing. Clapton is being chastised for albums like "Behind the Sun", and "August". Well, yeah, they aren't that great, but it's pretty rare for any performer that has been around for as many years as Clapton has to consistantly put out amazing product. It's pretty close to impossible, expecially considering the changing face of the musical market during that stretch of time. Acid rock; hard rock; folk rock; bubblegum; soft rock; disco; punk; new wave; dance; industrial, etc. It's very hard to find a niche and stay in it for a long period of time, especially when music is fragmenting into smaller and smaller sub-categories by the day. Who are you supposed to please? I mean, even the die hard fans of a particular musician find themselves liking other bands and styles, and ultimately, there's not enough money to buy every record on their wish list. Which is where the industry comes into power. If you aren't selling as many records as you did in the past, then patience wears thin and changes must be made: song choices are tinkered with, new (popular) producers are added, sound and style are altered. If you don't agree, you could be dumped from the label. Clapton got himself, I think, in a bind when "Wonderful Tonight" became a hit: a new crowd of the buying and listening public began to think of him only in terms of that song, and not so much of his prior accomplishments. Listen to all the albums after that, almost all include a blusey song or two, (that didn't get much airplay), and a wistful ballad, (that did). He still had, I believe, most of his old fan base, but because of the advent of MTV, the suits wanted him to be able to appeal to the younger crowd, too.

Enter Phil Collins, who tried to turn Eric into, Phil Collins, and one of the last things the world needs is another fucking Phil Collins. Maybe I'm wrong, and all of these changes were initiated by Clapton himself, but I find it interesting that immediately after the two album collaberation with Collins, Clapton rebounded with "Journeyman", certainly not his strongest solo album, but a hell of a lot more ballsy and blusey than anything he's done in a while. After that is "Unplugged", and history. Yet, then comes "Pilgrim", and you have to scratch your head and wonder why.

What I'm trying to say is this: yes, the man is an amazing guitarist, and one of the torch bearers of modern day white blues, but he can also pen and/or perform a great pop song. Even on some of his worst albums, there are a few songs that, when all the mornic synthesisers and production "enhancements" are stripped away, you still have some great songs. The guy's hung in there for 35 years. Most bands that are still together from that era are no more than pitiful skeletons of what they once were; playing in reunion tours and sounding no better than a tribute band playing the same music. Give the guy credit: if he had never came back in the mid 70's after all of his problems, he might today just be another clown, performing on tour with a revamped "Yardbirds", playing the songs that years ago he felt were below his dignity to perform. If Clapton owes anybody credit for his current success, it's probably Stevie Ray Vaughn. Stevie became popular playing the blues that Eric originally embraced, and people began to realize that there was indeed an audience again for this style of music. This, I feel, more than anything, reenergized Eric. and yeah, there's always that desire to get a song on the charts. Unfortunately, blues songs rarely get to #1 on Billboard.

Oh well, I tried. Talk to you later.

Herm

Interesting anecdote from during the "Clapton is God" era: Clapton was touring with Cream, and was in NYC at the same time Frank Zappa and the "Absolutely Free"-era Mothers of Invention were playing at the Garrick Theater. Impressed by the Mothers' improvisational capabilities while watching a soundcheck, Clapton befriended FZ, who was well on his way to becoming a guitar hero himself...and who was also in awe of Clapton's playing. After the show that night, FZ invited Clapton back to his apartment (the infamous Garrick shows were an extended run, hence the LA-based Mothers were camped out for the summer in NYC), and set up a portable Revox. Plying Clapton with compliments and wine, Frank coaxed Eric into playing "every riff he knew" while recording him on the Revox for future study! Later that year, while FZ was recording the classic "We're Only In It For The Money", EC dropped by the studio. Heavily into "music concrete-esque" sound collaging at that time, FZ asked Eric to imitate Eric Burdon (The Animals/War) on acid. The net result can be heard at the beginning of "Who Needs the Peace Corps" on "WOIIFTM", where Slowhand can be heard proclaiming in his best psychedelicized-rock star voice, "God, it's God, I see God"!

minah: OK - as of today I'm laying off the midnight snacks. These hot August nights tend to make me restless. Glad you're back. Did you bring the Boston Rag?

Fishes
rb

Damn it, Joker, what band's album are you wiating for?

HERM: hang in there - go find something that makes your brain twitch and go with it. listening to music, running around the cave w/your eyes closed, what have you.

for me all it takes is getting your claws on a promo copy of the long-awaited new album from a fave band...

{ 6 weeks before official release..... ]

and getting the chance to use the resulting blast of sonic freshness to kick-start the creativity.

think I'm kidding, just you wait.

[unfortunately i'm NOT speaking of SD.} jokER/

Al: I agree, I love a good debate on the subject of music too.
And no, that's not what I'm saying about John Mayall, ect...
Yes Slowhand is a fucking masterpiece OK, Unplugged and From the Cradle is too. Money and Cigs sucks, I actually bought that one. Yes he is a fucking genius.

My point was, some people can't sing or play worth a shit, put a band in front of them and there a superstar. GET IT!!!
IMO, there are some musicians/entertainers who can be on stage solo and kick ass. My list would include, Van Morrison, Billy Joel, Stevie Ray, to name a few and Dave M., Elton John and Bruce who I have seen solo personally. Those shows blew me away. Yeah, Eric may be on that list for some, but I've been catching Eric as far as 1972 and I'v never seen him solo. BUT, he always has a damn good band with him whenever he plays.

Finally, a heated discussion about music around here.
OK, nothin personal.

Bored, bored, bored...

Which makes no sense, really, because I have so much to do. It's just that I don't feel like doing it; or, more to the point, I can't get myself to WANT to do it. Anyone who's been reading my posts for the past year or so will by now have noticed that pathetic thread of motivationalessness (huh?) that weaves in and out of my writings. That, and the occasional bitterness and cynicism. The last two are so much easier to shake off, though, so I tend not to worry as much about them as I do the former. But how does one break out of the malaise of not wanting to break out of a malaise? Possibly even worse, why am I using the word "malaise"? I perpetually lack focus. My lenscap is always off; the switch turned to "on"; and even though I know what I'm aiming at, the finished product always seems to come out blurry, and with part of my finger showing up in the lower corner. It's like the old joke, "I know so many procrastinators; we should really form a club one of these days."

Does anyone have any advice? Oleander? Stranger? Anyone? They say the prescription for curing writers block is keep on writing, no matter how horrible the outcome. But, writers block isn't the problem. It's more of an outlook block. Maybe that's it - I just need to improve my outlook. Ah, I'm rambling again. I think I'll go to the back of my cave and put some brown K-Mart suits on my Dennis Rodman Colorform* set.

Later,

Herm

(* Colorforms is a registered trademark of University Games Corp. So don't go suing me for usage rights.)

Commander Hold'xEm: "indeficiencies"? "fecicious"?!! You should be sending that crap to the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for bad writing where drivel is appreciated. Maybe if you hold' em a little tighter

Freakin'n Puerto Rican: What St Al said.

Kinky was right.....

You are getting sleepy. Sleepy. Yes. You are highly impressionable but you don't worry even though a total stranger dressed in a tuxedo is about to take control of you. You haven't done too well on your own, have you? I am your friend and good friends make you comfortable enough to be sleepy. Yes, sleepy is next to forgetting. Yes. Sleep...

You are logging onto CD now and ordering Mister Magic by Grover Washington Jr. You don't know why and will not know until the CD arrives and you examine a bill for $7.49. (Your first order.) Sleepy decisions are good! You paid twice that much for the Doobie Bros. Greatest Hits and you were conscious! Sleep. Sleeeep...

Now you are listening to Mister Magic. It is eerie, vital and original--just like your life in general. Sleeep. Sleep...

When I snap my fingers you will not jump up and squawk like a chicken. When I snap my fingers you will not order a $4.00 cup of expresso. When I snap my fingers you will listen to Mister Magic and remember every nuance. Then you will post and make fun of Clas as if the magic is something only you have.

It's not. (Snap) Wake up, dumb ass!

Bush in 2000,

Blackstone Jr.

One Mo' Thing,

I agree with St. Al in regards to Eric Clapton. I saw him the summer before last with a 20 piece orchestra and he didn't need it. The man's voice and guitar were, quite simply, astounding. I don't know any other way of putting it. People wonder why "Pilgrim" could be slammed by the critics yet sell in the muti-millions but it's no secret to the fans that saw the show. Clapton is an "entertainer" through and through. When you see how EC stands on his tip-toes in order to hit those fantastic notes you'll understand. He gives everything he's got and you won't believe what that is until you see and hear him. I went to the show expecting a dinosaur and got my ass kicked. Two and half hours without a break. And when he picked up the gut-string Gibson and did a couple of cuts off the unplugged CD, I understood why "Clapton is God" was the graffiti of choice in 1969 London. This man never doubted for a moment how much he owed you for the price of your ticket and gave you a show impossible to capture on any medium.

Yes Sir,

Again

Springsteen's "The Young the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle" is the Boss's BEST album, bar none. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't listened to it. Wild Billy's Circus Story will bring tears to even the deepest miner's eyes and that's no soot.

Sure, Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez was slammed for his sticks but Bruce was so out of control it would have taken Lenny White three 25mg valiums just to envision Mr. Springsteen's pocket.

Anyway, A great 1973 album that still manages to reflect SD's Ion and Grass at the root.

Welcome back Hermitage, St. Al, Ruby, et al. School must be back in session.

Reaping the Glow,

SEMB

Many thanks to those who posted suggestions about Monk's music. I have written them down and will explore them further. You all are a great resource of information.

Q....I saw Roy Buchannon about a month before he killed himself in jail. He was playing in Durham, NC and put on a smoking show. After the show I thought I might go back toward the dressing room just to see if I could get an autograph and got much, much more. The guy at the door let me go back and Roy was very hospitable and told me to have a seat. There were a few other fans that were also back there and after a few minutes and a few pictures most of them left and Roy and I started talking about the state of the blues. We had a couple of beers courtesy of the club's backstage stash and I asked him about Jeff Beck's dedication to him on "Cause We Ended As Lovers" on the Blow By Blow album. He said he really thought a lot of Jeff but that he really felt like he had been ripped off by Beck, Clapton and Page because they had gotten all the credit for bringing the blues to the white people of America when he was doing it all before any of them. Beck did acknowledge Roy on the album but he was pretty bitter about never receiving his due. I had to agree with him but hey, life isn't always fair. After that, Roy was really excited to show me his new line of signature guitars that were supposed to come out about the time of his death. Very unique instruments that he asked me not to talk about at the time but since it's been several years I don't see where there could be any harm now. What he had come up with was similar to the Parsons/White B-Bender except that he could get the same pedal steel type effects on every string, not just the B string. Each string could be bent using a different part of the guitar. Very cool sound but I must say it looked like it would take quite a bit of use to really get the hang of it. (no pun intended)....Roy was kind enough to give me a copy of the video, which I still have, that talks about the development of the guitar and how it worked. So I took a couple of pics of the two of us and finished my beer and thanked him for a very entertaining evening and a great time after the show. He was as candid and open as any one I have ever met in any walk of life. I was shocked and saddened to read of his death just a few weeks later. A very under appreciated guitarist and a very nice person that most people never even got a chance to hear. I guess that's the way life goes sometimes.

I'll add though that I think Clapton is a great guitarist and a decent songwriter but some of my favorite tunes that he's done were written by other people. I think Page was the best song writer and producer that came out of the whole era. I think Beck was the best player from a technique stand point and still can play stuff that no one else can but it kinda pisses me off to hear him talk badly about Blow By Blow and Wired when he's hawking the newer stuff. I never really thought much of him as a songwriter though.

well, I'm tired and my eyes are burning so it's off to bed.....y'all have a good day.

MC

George Carlin lines:

1. Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
2. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
3. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
4. If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?
6. I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
7. Could it be that all those trick-or-treaters wearing sheets aren't going as ghosts but as mattresses?
8. If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?
9 If a man is standing in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him ... is he still wrong?
10. If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?
11. Is there another word for synonym?
12. Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice?"
13. Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"
14. What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an
endangered plant?
15. If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?
16. Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
17. Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
18. If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
19. Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
20. Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
21. If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
22. Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?
23. How do they get the deer to cross at that yellow road sign?
24. Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste
funny?
25. What was the best thing before sliced bread?
26. One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
28. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
29. The older you get, the better you realize you were.
30. Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
31. Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.
32. Women like silent men, they think they're listening.
33. Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.
35. Do pediatricians play miniature golf on Wednesdays?
36. Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?
38. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?
40. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too?
41. If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?
42. If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it?
43. If you ate pasta and antipasta, would you still be hungry?
44. If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
45. Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?

This has predictably slipped into a subjective discourse.

All the artists mentioned have considerable talents and I'll bet if any one of them were to walk into my living room with just an acoustic guitar (or piano) and perform solo for an hour I'd be pretty damn well impressed. Even if Springsteen (who I've never much cared for) came over and played his songs where I could understand the lyrics I might like it !!

I don't really think Freakin' PR's statement was fair to the musicians he mentioned. How can you say that Elton John or Eric Clapton "can't sing or play worth a shit" With or without a band they're talented musicians.

I just thank the Founding Fathers that we can say or write what we want ... sadly, that even extends to our little schoolboy author Andrew Dice Hemingway!

Packin' Vodka here, but......well...here goes....

Clapton is WAY overrated(except for Cream!)

Listen to Roy Buchannan for THE TRUE GENIUS of blues/any R&R-
especially for Telecaster afficianados !!!!(recommended cd's "Livestock"- and "Loading Zone" + Greatest Hits - you will renounce any allegiance to any other "guitar god" !!!!!!!(Clapton,Kieth Richards(on a good day !), and numerous other music insiders understand the rare(possibly"Hendrix "uniquely talented" calibre)talents of this "master of the guitar")

Best,

Q

blah,blah,blah............
Q

that should be "Brill Building-like"

See you all when there's something to talk about.

Wow, what a drag. I was just breezing through today's posts, when who of all people shows up at my cave, but Eric Clapton. "Eric! Eric!" I screamed, holding my Scripto high over my head. "Cut it out, would 'ya Hermie," he sighed. "I just came to chill out." So I lit a fire, and popped open a fresh bottle of Smirnoff. We talked about a lot of things: being a hermit,(he seriously considered it in the early 70's); beard vs. no beard; why does Steve Winwood never seem to age; why the hell is that short bald guy always on stage with a tambouine whenever a british rocker is playing, etc. Then I had to relieve myself. I skipped out to the nearest tree, and when I walked back in, there was Eric, staring at the computer screen, looking even more despondant than he was when I first saw him. He was reading the guest book. Way to go, Freakin' Puerto Rican! Now Eric's depressed, and that means that we might get stuck with another album like "Pilgrim" again.

Well, then again, maybe not. I don't want to seem morbid, but Eric usually faces tragedy by writing a very good song. I guess we'll have to wait. Last I saw him, he was wandering through the forest with his accoustic guitar, playing "Tears In Heaven", but slightly altering the words to suit the new occassion:

"Would you know my name,
if I gouged your eyes out?
Would you know good music
If attacked by a rock god?"

So, there you have it, another great musician, ruined because someone dragged him down.

Say No! to drags, kids.

Love and Wet Kisses,

Herm

Hey now! So what you're saying here is Eric had nothing to do with the success of the following bands... John Mayall (yeah, that was all Mayall's doing), Cream (yeah, that musta have been all Jack Bruce -- isn't he selling real estate somewhere?), Blind Faith (ok, Steve Winwood helped him out there), D & the Dominoes (musta been all Duane Allman and heroin there), as well as brief stints with the Yardbirds and Delaney and Bonnie.

THEN, he decided to launch a solo career and came up with gems like 461 Ocean Boulevard, EC was here, Slowhand, Money and Cigs, Just one Night, Unplugged, that blues album Fezo mentioned, etc.

Dude, the guy is a fucking musical genius, whose career spans 4 decades. One of a dozen or so in the history of rock and roll. Open your ears and eyes. Oh, and he plays guitar pretty damn good...

As for Elton. Now there's a guy who definitely wouldn't be were he is without someone elses help -- Bernie Taupin. Don't get me wrong. I dig early Elton John. Madman is one of my alltime fav's. My take is for whatever reason Eric's sound doesn't appeal to you. I can relate. I think Bob Dylan [ducking] sucks, but it's becuase his sound doesn't appeal to my ears. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate what he's done for popular music.

What it comes down to is I love a lively debate on music. Everyone's opinion is welcome, but beware the retort. Nothing personal, my friend -- Seriously! Also, that keyboard comment was in no way directed at you.

StAl

fezo: Astute observation about the Brill Building;ile songs on the Gary US Bonds album. Bonds had some R&B hits in the early 60s, and he had the soulful pipes to put some oomph into those songs. With the memory jogged, there's a song called Soul Deep on that album with that classic sound. The tape is somehwere here in my tape archives hopefully as it's no longer available, although a compilation might be obtainable on CD.

"The Boss SUCKS!"

"The Boss"

i think Elton and Eric have fallen into the same Top 40 hell since about the mid-80's. Though I recal Clapton briefly escaping the flames with a straight blues album two or three years back that was worth a listen or two or three

Dr Mu: you remember that album Springsteen did with Gary U.S. Bonds too? that was a good one. the title cut (I'm Out of Work) had a real classic pop structure to it. Like Bruce when he wrote it had transported himself back to the Brill building back in the early 60's.

another lost GB female . . . lisa, where are you?

You can call me: No, I'm not FUCKING KIDDING! I know this is your page and all, but Mr. Clapton alone doesn't impress me the way, say, Elton John alone impresses me. I disagree, there have been many other ridiculous statements than this on this board, my friend. Maybe the only one that raised the hair on your back, but many more ridiculous. If it weren't for, I don't know, CREAM, or CHUCK L. or (again, this shit could go on and on...)yes I stand behind my statement pal Al, Eric alone is just Eric!
Eric in the studio with Howlin', now theres some majic. Yeah, I'll get blasted, I know, but I'm one of the few here with balls.

I'll disreguard the keyboard comment.

Whatever happened to those hot gb babes Steely Danielle, Geena, Babylon Sister, Brooke Lynne, and EvivaLaughs? are they still here, but using different monikers? Are they gone for good? Does anyone know of there whereabouts? I miss them.

Ruby: Re: 'Becker Dreams', I, too, thought his appearance in dreams was meaningful, but soon came to the realization that it was just too much starch too close to bedtime. Lay off the garlic bread for a couple of nights and see if I'm right...

hogs,
mW

Thelonius: "Monk's Dream" is a good starter..
Bruce Folds Walter: Lots of DJs were interested in 11 TOW when it came out.. But you don't hear it on the radio, even though some people really wanted to play it.. Because it lacks something Bruce has.. Call it Excitement, Exuberence.. fuck I don't know..
But Bruce (who i have a hard time listening to..) always seems to really enjoy what he's playing.. I don't get that from 11 TOW..
Suberb songwriting & musicianship just ain't enough...
Aim for the Heart, please...

Freakin!: Are you FUCKING KIDDING? Eric Clapton without a band would be nothing? That is, without a doubt, the most ridiculous statement I've EVER seen posted on this guestbook. And my friend, there's been a ton of 'em...

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were referring to Eric's pipes and not his chops.

Even more ridiculous than "Commander holding-my-dick-in-my-hands" posts. This dude needs to crawl back under the rock from which he slithered. How much you want to bet the keys on his keyboard stick? Disgusting thought I know...

StAl

Well, I kinda dig the Boss, OK. If you've ever been to his show, the guy plays to the crowd. Yes, E Street is great also.
On that note, there are many guys who can't sing worth a shit, or play and instrument like a pro, but put a band in front of em' and there a superstar. Where would, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Michael "puss" Bolton, gag (hell this list could go on and on,) be without a band?

Do a little research on the boss. Where he came from, how he made it big. The guy doesn't look good, he's not a dancer, maybe someone who saw him play live saw something millions of followers agree with.

Buy a Tuck and Pattie CD. Theres a guy who is incredible at guitar and a woman who has a voice like an angel. Ever hear them on top 40? What's wrong with this picture?

"strum and drang"

HA!

Alt- the Blue Note greatest hits compilation is lots of bang for the buck. very nice smattering of Monk (what's smatter?)
jazz recordings of live dates recycle many of these tunes with different personnel (so if you end up purchasing 'non-greatest hits' releases it won't exactly be redundant). i buy most of my discs used $6-8 (college town with 5 used disc stores! que bella) and see the Blue Note release quite often. I think it appears on those "get 12 CDs for the price of one" offers-so it ends up in the binz. rip open a bag of salt peanuts and set right down.

Re:Bruce He is great at what he does. He has taken some risks and found out that he has limits. Ouch. He has the greatest bar band in the world. The personalities are fabulous. The musicianship suits the repertoire (with fewer pretensions over the years- or maybe the pretensions transformed into true personnae). I never bought the "...future of rock and roll and its name is..." hype but Jungleland made me pretty tingly the first time I heard it and I sure hoped Landau was correct. It's only rock and roll and I like it (at times) I own BTR only but it hasn't met with a turntable for years.

Re:Todd A wizard a true star. Begin with NAZZ and consider he was kinda sorta like 16? Great songsmith. Appreciative of comments about the 'state of the art of recording and synthesis/sound production at the time of...' and wholeheartedly agree.He is a fine guitarist and a melodic soloist (vs. the "dial-a-lick" strum und drang thang). A prolofic artist who always explores new terrain- there is fluff in the discography but it's mixed with true greatness. He has had some killer bands. Utopia had it all. I could go on but no one has reacted to my Rose Darling theory. I have feelings.

TR also has wonderful ideas that he actualizes regulalry. regularley. He does cool things all the time. Did anyone attend one of his interactive concerts in which audience members could jam ("generate input"? nyuk) with the band? Ya- i'm going on it's a slow day at the salt mine. Faithful came with a poster- the likeness of Todd which on close inspection revealed the teensie weensie little names of all the fans who put their names on postcards (in the previous album) and sent in. I like the way this man thinks. It's all good clean fun. Look Harvey, a crab.

WB interview- nice chuckles. Highlight: account of perturbations regarding notations and tonal centers. the "clusters" in 11tow reached out and grabbed me (just below the sternum, Clas) from the first play. These are meta-chords. No, wait. These are polytonal extrapolations which seem to *imply* that they have a home but are really living inside a cardboard box. Imagine WB speaking with Dean Parks from the control room:
"...just play Cminoradd4/C# IMPLIED. can we roll tape now, Dean?"

there it is. a nomenclature is born. Walter has given us the "implied chord form". Is life great or what.

F#maj-imaginary9

Sociable Hermit,
The same lunkhead tried to say that the Commander and myself were the same.

Springsteen was very good when he was a hungry Jersey kid. His best songs IMHO will always be "Born to Run" (my theme song) and "Rosalita". By the time Born in the USA had come out, he'd already sold his soul to the record company whereupon they proceeded to do a complete makeover of his image with promises of stuffing the backpocket of his Levi's with a little more cash. At this time Bruce could record a burp, fart, or (insert other bodily noises here) and make millions. Bruce had already gotten accustomed to living in mansions with swimming pools and eating only the best foods. A long way from living in cold water flats with no shower facilities in a town on the east end of Jersey and eating 3/$1 pre-cooked hotdogs from WaWa's convenience store. "Bruce, we hardly knew ye"!

original lester,
thanks for reminding me. the boss's 'valentine's day' on 'tunnel of love' album is compelling, good enough to keep you listening and enjoying play after play. here's a big recommendation to all those who haven't tried it. now if you'll just find the damn tape for me. it's in a pile somewhere.

Sherlock:

Nice try, but, NO! I am not the Commander. I have never posted under any name other than Sociable Hermit. And anybody that has been around long enough to know my posts will attest to the fact that my style differs greatly from that of the Commander's.

I realize that it is open to theories and arguments, but the bottom line is I am and always will be only Herm.

And another thing, "Sherlock"...why use the phony fake name? Why not just post under your real fake name? Could it be that YOU are the Commander, and you are trying desperately to deflect some of the bad press you've recieved onto someone else?

It seems like no matter how long I'm gone from here, whenever I come back, some lunkhead is accusing me of some kind of crap. It's getting boring, folks.

Later,

Herm

Roy.Scam- Thanks for the memory of the Bruce Springsteen bits on the Ben Stiller show. Can't stop laughing remembering the counting one, but my favorite was "The Boss records the outgoing message on his answering machine". Why that show was cancelled- I'll never understand!

Interesting tidbit- I heard on the radio this morning that former Dan guitarist Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter is considering making a run for congress, state of California I think.

Sociable Hermit=Commander Hold' Em?

Happy 45th birthday Elvis Costello!!!

Later,

Herm

Bruce's "every man", "blue collar", "working class hero" schtick just doesn't resonate with me...

I've never fully understood Bruce Springsteen's legendary status (even the great Randy Newman mentions him in song.), but that top 10% of his work has generated some great records, [Rosalita is so good, I thought it was a Van Morrison song.]. -- I can't hear Springsteen without visualizing Ben Stiller's bit where he imitates the Boss on a children's educational program showing kids how to count: the numbers from 1 to 20 flash up on the screen while Bruce yells, " hawn, hoo, hee, orn, huh, hib, nen ...".

Another great Springsteen bit is Robin Williams' rendition of Elmer Fudd singing "Fire". ["Weeyuh dwiving in my cawuh..."]

I read the lyrics to the album "Nebraska" at a bargain bin recently and I still think they're excellent.-- I believe it's his big hits like Dancin' in the Dark, Glory Days, and Born In The U.S.A. that make him seem boring; plus the fact that he's been known to play too long (so sue him).

RS

JW Malibu / Dr Mu / JDF - Yes, "Getz/Gilberto" was the third of the three samba albums from Getz and the first I ever heard so it's my favourite. The other one, by the way, is "Jazz Samba Encore". They're all from Verve and well worth owning. I don't mean to get back into the vinyl/CD debate but I would add that mine are all on pristine vinyl (I bought them new (reissue) in the early '80's).

Original Lester - I have to mention yet again that "Glamour Profession" is "IT"! Such a great track in every way. The pinnacle of Steely Dan brilliance. More like this on the new one please.

Also, Bruce's Nebraska is a must. Acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals all done by Bruce on a 4-track. Some of the best songs he ever wrote.

Tunnel of Love is a masterpiece. Basically a concept album which chronicles the ups and (mostly) downs of love- obviously influenced by his romance with Julianne Philips. Cautious Man, Brilliant Disguise, One Step Up, Valentine's Day. There's no other Bruce album like it. Jungleland is Bruce's best song ever (yes, I'm aware that's from a different album).

http://www.theonion.com/onion3530/ebay_drunk.html

the Dan mentioned, with tongue placed firmly in cheek, in The Onion...

I love the Boss, and the best one is "Wild, Innocent..." Though he isn't my favorite ever, I'm still convinced that "Rosalita" is the finest rock and roll song ever, rock and roll's potential finally realized...everything rock and roll should and could be is in that song...goddamn

the whole album just gives me goosebumps, it really is the words....the thing that made me Steely in the first place...the words

springsteen may be overrated, but he's put out a lot of work and probably ten percent of it is quite good. however, i've never understood why a guy who celebrates the fact he's from jersey feels compelled to sing in a country-western twang. cher does the same thing. they speak normally but sing hee-haw. anybody got any ideas on this?

also, while i was in paris i had a long talk with clas. i know he doesn't want me to reveal this, but he is actually of nicaraguan extraction. he lost an earlobe and all his hair folicles in vietnam while he was on tour entertaining the NVA. while playing electric guitar in a vc hospital deep underground, he was a victim of a power surge caused by nixon-kissinger agents who sneaked jack daniels into the generator. he has tried not to be embittered against the yanquis, but i imagine a bit of hostility comes out once in a while. he poses as a swede in order to take on the mantle of neutrality. i found him quite pleasant. more on this later.

i now know more french. i've always known avec fromage is with cheese. who'd have believed that sans fromage is without cheese? man, this traveling really makes you smart.

fezo: Yes, The Wild the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle is a more interesting album than say Born in the USA. They had a different sound with David Sancious at the keys. I do admire the power of Born to Run, but albums like The River never appealed to me the way it affected some buddies. Bruce produced an album for Gary US Bonds (forgot the name now but it had the I'm Our of Work song) which was far more fun and intruiging that Born in the USA which I thought was a downer.

JW, Herm, Hutch, etc. Great posts on Latin jazz. I'll have to put early Getz on the wish list for CDs. Some of the later "mood music" such as The Dolphin are satisfying as well.

Hermy--Fluffing up those fallen leaves in the cave yet? Glad you're back. If you'd like some help in sweeping out the old and in the new, the Oleander Nimbus 2000 is available.

Alta--Where to begin? Suggestion: call in sick & spend some time surfing howard m's inimitable Monk site at http://www.achilles.net/~howardm/tsmonk.html or, for a good grocery list with very helpful thumbnails of many discs, http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/portraits.cfm?CatalogName=Portraits

It was early morning, around 6:30 am, and I'd just awoke from a twelve hour rest filled with strange and disturbing dreams, none of which I could remember. I'd spent the day before huffing Scotch-Guard and drinking Old Style beer from Chicago and then passed out, wasted, in the hallway of my dank and desolate apartment complex, which was built sometime back in the 30's and quite spooky at times. I barely remember waking in the hallway amidst a litter of broken beer bottle glass, and covered with a brown sticky substance. There was a pair of ripped panties and a red and white summer dress beside me. How they got there, I don't know.

I got up, brushed myself off, snagging my palm with beer glass and wincing with the pain of an almost inch long sliver of glass that I would undoubtedly have to remove with a pair of pliers or something else good for yanking glass out of hands. I opened the door of my trashed out apartment, unconciously reading the stickers on the door, one of which read, "Public Masturbation is a Good Idea," which I vaguely remember being the title of an early Swans album.

So there I sat on the couch, trying to recover, reaching back to yesterday to try to piece together the tidbits, desparately hoping to retrieve lost data and understand exactly what had happened and why I was covered from head to foot in blood and feces. I stared at myself in the cracked mirror on the wall and was initially afraid of what I was seeing. A chunk of my right ear was missing, and a very large gash was on my left cheek. Two or three teeth were chipped or broken. I smiled and laughed at the tragic state of myself. Boy, last night must have been a wild one, I thought to myself.

As I sat there, I heard a quiet knock on my door, and rose slowly, unsure whether I wanted to get this one or not. It might be the local police, or the feds, or my bitch girlfriend even. I couldn't see her now, hell, I couldn't see any of them now, they'd never understand this. I looked through the peep-hole and no one was there. Fuck it, I thought, I'll just open the door. I opened the door and looked up and down the hall--nobody in sight. I finally looked down at the floor, still littered in glass, and noticed something that wasn't there this morning when I rose. An arm of what looked to be a twelve year old girl was lying on the floor, complete with Mickey Mouse watch and everything. "Fuck," I said out loud. "Someone's leaving little girl arms on my doorstep again?"

RixHex56 - I agree with you about the Boss. I bought one of his albums when I was in high school since, even though I loved Steely Dan, my musical taste hadn't yet evolved very far and I was overly influenced by my peers. However, we Washingtonians were rather proud when native son Nils Lofgren went on tour as a guitarist with Springsteen's band. (Lofgren has, in recent years, become quite active in educating people about Alzheimer's disease, which his father has, or perhaps had, I seem to recall that his father had died a while back.)

Fezo - I would agree that the E Street Band is better than Springsteen himself. There have been some good musicians in that band, especially Clarence Clemmons.

Sociable Hermit - It's great to see you posting again! I hope that all the complications in your life work out well.

JWMalibu - I'm not all that familiar with Todd Rungren's music, aside from his single Hello, It's Me, which I never really liked much, but I just adore his song Pretending to Care, which Jennifer Warnes covered on her album The Hunter. It's a lovely song with intriguing words and some wonderful harmonic progressions. I'll look for his album that has this song on it.

GB Weight Police - I don't like junk food; actually, my downfall is good food with olive oil in it, which is good for you but fattening nonetheless. My weight has stayed constant for the last five or so years; I would just like to get it down a bit. Like you, I find heavier women quite attractive, although they don't remind me of pigs (an animal I admire, by the way - they are quite smart), I just like all that softness - heavier women feel good and aren't all hard and bony like skinny women. I am fortunate in belonging to one of the few societal groups where it's acceptable to be heavy. If I lose weight, it's because I want to, not because it will make me more attractive. Doing something for onesself is always better than doing it for someone else. (And judging from the more recent photographs, even Mr. Fagen has put on a few pounds, although I think his demure belly and love-handles are rather attractive and are probably due to what is known as "middle-age spread.")

FYI - Right on both counts, although he officially came out only rather recently.

I would like to buy a Thelonius Monk CD; does anyone have any suggestions about which one I should start with?

Ditto - I dislike "The Boss" greatly too.( the most
overrated/celebrated "musician" in rocknroll ? )

Thank you for this opportunity to speak out.

Mr. Q

It struck me today that Glamour Profession is quite an achievement of irony in that the music is just so beautifully sublime while Don tells about the lives of those who make up the dregs of society. That bridge with the guitar break followed by the piano solo still gives me chills. Just ranting.

Hollywood; I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in my bewilderment over "The Boss"!? Simply put, he just plain SUCKS! How he ever attained his status in the "music" business, I'll never understand. It's one of the major pieces of "pretzel logic" of the '80s. Perhaps there was a government conspiracy to kill off any last remnants of creativity that might have been lurking in the background, somewhere, and he was their main agent of destruction thereof. I can't find any explanation that works better. He barely sings, can't play guitar worth a shit, his lyrics are mindless(further proof of my theory)and his uncanny ability to NOT create melodies has, virtually, no rival.

Well, LouEllen, from the insipid sarcasm of your critique and the vile and felicitous perusal of my work, I felt that you were being fecicious when you said you'd been entertained by my musings. Any miscommunication that may have occurred was all your fault. Everything I just said made no sense at all, but that's just the way I want it. Anyway, good talking to you, and thank you for the critique all the same. Some of you even made some wonderful suggestions that I will definitely consider in future writings. Oh, and one last thing, fuck all of you, you asshole pricks. Just kidding, really. I mean it, jackasses.

Regards,

C H 'Em

Hollywood: try listening to the music next time instead of watching Bruce cavort around the stage. It's the E Street Band that makes the Springsteen sound, not so much him on his own.

and try listening to some early (pre-Born to Run) Springsteen if you have the chance. His lyrics back then were a lot more "creative", almost Danlike in their obtuseness.

Herm: Yeah..."Faithful"! What a piece of work that was! "Black and White" has gone on to become a Rundgren standard, a veritable pop masterpiece...but it was always side two of that album that blew me away. His letter-perfect covers of "Good Vibrations", "If 6 were 9" and "Rain" and others are still remarkable 24 years later, especially considering the fact that he was using 1975 equipment to pull it off...amazing!

JWMalibu: Wow! Another Todd fan! I've been a Todd-head since 1977. I think it's pretty cool that I keep seeing his name pop up on the gb. I wish he would launch a full scale tour again, but, alas, I fear that those days are long over. Hopefully not, though.

Just another onionhead,

Herm

Great post, Herm...you've got impeccable taste in jazz players! Thanks for succinctly addressing "Malibu Barbie's" question regarding musical integrity vs. album sales in relation to jazz. If album sales dictated this fool's musical tastes, I'd have Limp Biskit's "Nookie" playing in my office right now, rather than Todd Rundrgen's "A Wizard/A True Star"...but, to each his/her own...

Mr. Chow: While we're on the subject of the late, great Stan Getz, who can forget "Getz/Gilberto" (Verve, 1963). Of course, the album is best known for the huge hit, "Girl from Ipanema", and it set the standard for jazz-bossa nova crossover. Tom Jobim's piano work is perfectly understated, and Milton Banana's spare percussion work adds a nice finishing touch! Well worth a listen...

Could somebody please tell me why so many people love Bruce Springsteen. To me he's the anti- Dan. I can't understand ONE word he sings. EVERYBODY told me "if you see Bruce in concert you'll change your mind about him". Well, I did see him in concert and now I like him even less. If jumping around the stage like a monkey for 3 and 1/2 hours makes the music better.....well I just don't get it/him.

Whoa, that is heavy, Altamira. You need to ease off the Cheetohs, Bertha. You say you like to exercise, though? That's good, then. I like 'em fat, hot, and sweaty. Like a big fat pig rolling around in the mud.

Wasn't Ricky Martin once a member of Menudo? Not that I really care or anything, everybody knows he's gay.

Oh yeah, and as far as Ricky Martin is concerned...

To me, even though the music is bouncy and smooth, he is just another corporate creation like Menudo or Spice Girls. Very little warmth or intelligence. His primary quest is to make money for his label, (and himself),and whether it be music, or merchandising makes little diference. Let's see where he is in 5 years.

I love latin music, but mostly latin jazz. Cubanismo, Jose Alemeny, Tito Puente, Perez Prado, Cal Tjader, Ray Barretto...
I don't know. To me, there's so many more interesting artists out there than Ricky Martin.

Hello,

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I posted here! Hello to everyone, new and old. I did a quick run through of the past week, and it's nice to know that some things never change. Which is tantamount to saying that nothing has changed between the opposing sides of a holy war. There are still the requisite attacks, arguments, phony posters, (which could be considered the precurser to the Commander's fiction writing, I guess).

I've been busy trying to get my personal and professional life together, so sorry for the lack of correspondance. I will go into further detail at a later date. There are, however, a few things that I wanted to comment on from the past week.

Malibu Barbie: "If jazz is so good, then why doesn't it sell?" (or something to that effect). Jazz DID sell. Very much. Before rock and roll, jazz and big band music sold quite well, as a matter of fact. But just because something doesn't sell, doesn't mean that it's bad. Conversely, just because something sells a lot does not mean that it's the best, either Look at the Acadamy Awards. The best picture Oscar never goes to the picture that grossed the most at the box office, because that picture is rarely the best that came out that year. Movies that make a lot of money appeal mostly to the lowest common denomiator. (That is not meant to be a slight against anyone who sees the top grossers, by the way). The have a tendancy to manipulate the audience, instead of allowing the audience the chance to concieve it's own thoughts. Jazz is the same way. As opposed to most of the best selling music out there, it uses theory, dynamics, and more than two or three chords. It's usually complicated, forcing the listener to actually do that - LISTEN. Sadly, though, many people don't want to have to do that. And, again, as far as not making money (now); what about Elvis Presley? Little Richard? and many others? Now, I don't have the ledgers in front of me, but I think I can be safe in stating that none of them are currently selling as many albums as Mariah Carey, the Backstreet Boys, or Celine Dion. Does that mean that they are all better that Elvis because they now outsell them? Does it mean that the Spice Girls, by virtue of selling more records in the past few years, are better than Steely Dan? Malibu Barbie, now we know for sure that just big tits and a nice ass does not make a woman complete. Get out of the dream house and go to the fucking library.

Someone else was commenting on improvisational jazz musicians. Let me suggest a few.
Tenor sax: John Coltrane
Alto sax: Charlie Parker
Guitar: Wes Montgomery
Piano: Thelonious Monk
Organ: Jimmy Smith
Vibes: Milt Jackson
Trumpet: Fats Navarro
And hundred of others

Please remember: Friday August 27 - the anniversary of Lester Young's 90th B-day.
Sunday August 29 - the anniversay of Charlie Parker's 79th B-day

Oh well, I must run. It was nice getting back in here again. Hopefully, I won't be away so long in the future.

Later,

Herm

JDF: Cal Tjader is worth checking out..
Guitarists: Nokie Edwards.. Not a SD musician, but Chet Atkins & Larry Coryell know who he is.. Former lead guitar with The Ventures, the band which brought the instrumental jam & jazz classics to rock.. Nokie is a great guitarist, still plays all over the world, and The Ventures aren't in the HOF either..
Not enough glitter, prancing, & Speedballing to get their attention, I guess..
But Fender makes a Nokie Edwards signature Telecaster, & his line of strings is really good too...

JosieDF - Although their music is probably not actually considered jazz I would highly recommend Strunz & Farah if you like latin rhythms. They are two guitar virtuosos in that Flamenco-esque, New Age-ish genre. Lots of great percussion behind them. Jorge Strunz is from Costa Rica and Ardeshir Farah is from Iran so you really get a mixture... some songs are definitely latin while others have a mid-eastern sound. (actually a lot of latin rhythms have their origins in mid-eastern rhythms) One of their earliest albums called "Primal Magic" is a favorite of mine. Check it out !

Hutch

P.S. That's nice of you to say. I like you too !!

In one week, I'll be in D.C. viewing Bruce and the E. Street Band. Can't wait.

All this talk about Latin/Spanish music . . . how about Buena Vista Social Club? It's the Ry Cooder on the coattails of old Cuban musicians project. A great disc and now, I think, also a movie.

Ole: Since our heroes stole my guess, please change my pick in the new release pool to March 21st. Also, if the moths haven't reduced it to shreds, I have a NYRSR tour shirt to throw into the prize stash.

Hutch: Great post about the often jarring nature of the GB dialogue. The vile and venom quotient does run high at times. It's like the first leap of the season off the high dive. Just got to take a deep breath and dive in.

JosieDanFan - How about Stan Getz's three Jazz Samba albums from the early 60's. The original "Jazz Samba" broke records at the time, and started a world craze with the samba. Even James Bond was into it - evidenced by the music of "Dr No". This music sways and swings beautifully.

I was reading where somebody saw Jeff Beck at some small venue the other night. I saw him in Perth in Western Australia in 1977, he`s up there with the best of them. I often listen to Blow By Blow! now there is a truly great album, the drummer and drum sound is the best, eventhough it was recorded in 1975!!..........Have a listen!.....BY

I've been gone, but I hope not *forgotten*?

It really IS nearly impossible to catch up if you're away from this GB any length of time. Let me say hello again to GBers I know and welcome to the new folks! I hope you've been ok without my regular supersoakings!

Been listening to Steve Kohl (sp) is it Cole. Anyway, jazz! He was in Philadelphia at Penn's Landing last Friday evening..anyone see him? And also Gil Paris, I love his CD, especially the first track, entitled "It's a Lie." El Supremo thinks SD should get Gil to play with them sometime.

DanMomentExtraordinaire: Someone in here had dedicated the song *Walk Between the Raindrops* to El Supremo and I as a couple a while ago when various titles of distinction were given to lots of fans in the GB. (I think it was at the end of the year.) A few weeks ago while vacationing in southern Texas, we ducked into the shade of the outside dining area of a restaurant near the beach since it was so hot (it was out of our way, we had to go around a corner to get there) ---- to our amazement we heard SD playing that very song at that exact moment!!

What is the latest on the new one being released and are there any firm tour dates? I heard something about this fall?!?

Back to sleep, back to ES.

Missed you guys/gals!

JustKaty :)

Altamira,

I've finally figured you out. I drank the bottle that said "drink me" like I'm supposed to and everything fell into place.

Anyway, when I drank the contents of the bottle I got really small and entered a world of absurdity and calculated deceit. I jerked the Cheshire cat up by the nape of his neck before he could vanish and found a 5' 7", 175 lb thin-as-a-card joker. In the words of the Kinks: You really got me, Lola.

My Reply: Nothing matters and what if it did?

Lewis Carroll's Malibu Barbie W/Ltd. Edition Kinky Kar,

Alice

(I'm laughing WITH you....)

Kamfire--alas. What a cold New Year's Eve it will be, indeed. We'll just have to be satisfied with looping Patti Austin.

JDF--I got two words for you: Gonzalo Rubalcaba, esp. Greatest Hits. Stranger hipped me to him. Or Jane Bunnett's Spirits of Havana, or BioRitmo (more trad).... Poncho Sanchez.... Que sabor!

Edd--right on.

Rubay--Next time, will you ask him when The New One will be out?

Q--Robert Fripp? Now that would be very interesting. Steve Khan, yes. Mmmm, fun to daydream....

Commander Hold 'Em - I'll admit that I didn't read your second story since my time is rather limited and it looked kind of long. I agree with the person who said that you tell rather than show - I could not understand just what was so awful about the character's boss, I actually found her to be a rather sympathetic character. It would have helped if you had described, in dramatic detail, some specific incidents in which she treated the main character badly so we could understand just why the narrator found her so repugnant.

Regarding fat issues; you are right, this is the fattest country on earth, and this is a complicated topic that reveals much about our culture that ought to be dealt with in a thoughtful, well researched manner. I'm somewhat heavy myself (5 feet 7 inches, 165 pounds) so I find this topic quite interesting. I get a lot of exercise, but I really do enjoy eating. These are issues you might want to explore in your future writings about fat people.

yes- and an incisive analyis of Dan guitar history !
I say Jeff Beck on the new one - we could still do an improv layerer right ?

How about Steve Kahn,Carlton,Dimeola,Adrian Belew, Tony Levin,BillBruford,Robert Fripp,and some of their friends locally and from the past, etc.

Thankyou, Dr Mu.........

Hey dickhead, if you thought for one minute and I know you did, that I took your bullshit serious, then you're even zanier than I thought. Scroll back a bit and read what I wrote about your first piece "entertaining" me. Yeah, I read it because I got a "big mama" laugh out of it, but isn't that what you wanted? Are you upset because i outwitted you? I just played along with you, but apparently you can't take what you dish out. Chill out, don't get your knickers in a twist, ok? You wild and crazy dude!

Commander Hold Em: my advice to you is - keep writing. I personally don't like the traits you've given your characters, but I'm raising 3 teens and I hear that stuff enough already. Those characters come in handy if used sparingly in a story (imho) Have fun with it now, but don't expect accolades. This is a tough room.

with a wink & a smile
rb

Elliot Randall's Greek cousin

Commander- You're not funny, and nobody here gives a shit about you and your stories.

Dr.Mu- Who in the hell is Ekiyt Randall?

These stories aren't in any way true, and are pure works of adolescent and comedic fiction meant purely for your enjoyment. The fact that you take them personally is childish in and of itself. I'm just screwing around, can't you see? A little joking, and a little crude humour never hurt anybody. But I'm through defending myself. And hey, if you hated the stories so much, why did you read them? Tell the truth, you laughed a little bit. They're fucking funny, and if you can't see that, then you're one bored, fatass bitch. You're Big Mama II, aren't you? And why shouldn't I write about fat people. They're fucked up. America is the fattest goddamn nation in the world. People who are offended by being fat should just quit eating so frigging much. You don't see any fat people in Ethiopia, do you?

Oh, and if anyone remembers Danny Steele from a little while back? Do you remember, you jackasses? Well, that's me!! I've returned to torment you for a bit, so enjoy it while it lasts. You never know what form I might assume next time, and I will return again and again to remind you little things about yourself: for one, quit taking your dumb asses so seriously, you jackass fucks!! Oh, hell, I better go, I've got to take a piss.....Oh, and before I forget, fuck off, all of you!!!

I'm really just kidding, but I love the stupid responses you jackasses come up with. As if you think it's going to hurt my feelings or something. I could give a jackshit what you bastards think. Just ribbing, you really. OK, for real, have a nice fucking day, assholes, and don't eat too much tonight!!! Or you"ll get fat!!

Razor Boy: no need for guilty baggage, man! When you miss a few weeks here, a few months there, we all just assume you have a life... we'd rather not talk about it, actually.

O-my- God, I suppose there could be some sort of Walter fixation. But I'll have you know that the very first SD dream I had only included Donald Fagen, an elevator and a tube of lipstick. I will contemplate what you said, tho. I'm ready to face my neurotic nature head-on. No need for false pride here.

Oleander: oh wise one, with a PhD in Phever Dreamology, could the appearance of Walter Becker in my dreams symbolize something else? my wild-side, maybe? And what about when the New One is released? Should I approach with caution or untethered abandon?

rb

Commander:

Just saw your latest "I wanna be on the NY Times Bestseller list" piece of crap. What is this fascination you have with obesity? Are you writing from personal experience?

When you posted the first short story, you stated that it was submitted for critique. Critiquing means to give honest feedback and to be prepared for what you may or may not want to hear. It seems to me that you have a difficult time swallowing your own bitter medicine. It would be my suggestion to toss that piece of human waste product down the flusher and re-write something without any juvenile influence and without your attitude to follow. Another suggestion would be to submit it to your local high school newspaper. Oh sorry, last I heard they were reading great literature.

No need to thank me for this, I already know I'm a crude and insidious bitch!

Adios Amigo!

Q - Wayne Krantz himself had posted in the Newsgroup a few months ago mournfully admitting that he would not be on the final product. I have no idea whether the other two mention in Tomas Broberg's site, Dean Parks and John Harrington had made it.

While I lean overall towards a Larry Carlton with his lyrical style in his prime under the guidance of Walter and Donald. He added the right amount of edge for the hot fusion solos. But then he might not be perfect for all situations. Dean Parks is a fine acoustic guitarist. Denny Dias was nonparaleil for electric bop. Ekiyt Randall added a real rock edge. Once the guys knew what sound they wanted for a particular song, they would find the best guitarist suited to producing that sound.

I just skip any entry with your name on it...

His name was Chomsky, and we all hated him--hell, the whole frigging fifth grade hated him because he was a freak and an asshole. Chomsky was what most people would call a Poindexter. He was fat, and ugly, and he stank, and picked his boogers, and even farted out loud in class sometimes. He wore thick, Coke-bottle glasses, suspenders, high-water slacks, and always had a big dark stain on his ass where he'd soiled himself either by way of feces or urine.

Chomsky's one redeeming quality was that he could sing like a bird. He had one of those choir boy sopranos that was always in tune, and you'd see him in the middle of the bunch, picking his boogers, belting out his lines proudly but sadly also. Sometimes right in the middle of a partlicularly beautiful high note, one of the bigger kids, one of the bullies, would slap him in the back of the head. The beauty of the high note would be jolted to an embarrassed halt, and Chomsky would turn red like a beet in humility, and anger, and sadness. He'd often run out of the room, his globs of fat jiggling, and his overgrown breasts flopping and flapping through his shirt as tears streamed down his freckly flabby jowls. He was one sad little prick.

You'd frequently see Chomsky walking around the halls with his head hung low, a sign made of notebook paper hanging from his back reading, "fatass," or "jackass," or "kick me," in juvenile scrawl. One day I drew a picture of Chomsky and passed it around the class. The picture was a very exaggerated and overemphasized caricature of Chomsky--not in any way flattering. It had Chomsky in the center of the paper, and then it had little captions all over the paper with arrows pointing out Chomsky's shortcomings and indeficiencies. One caption said, "stinky butt," with an arrow pointing to a rendition of his oversized ass. Another one said something like, "chipmunk cheeks," with an arrow pointing at his fatass face. I remember the look on Chomsky's face when he finally received the portrait of himself. He looked like he was about to burst into tears, and he turned to look at me because he knew it was me who drew it. I'd been laughing before, but when I saw the look of utter despair on Chomsky's grotesquely gargantuan fatass face, my heart just broke. I felt like a total asshole, and something changed in me that day. I realized that Chomsky was a human being, regardless of the fact that he was shaped like a hotair balloon and shit his pants all the time. I knew I could never fully respect Chomsky, since he was a social reject, and obviously had little respect for himself judging from his appearance. But that day, when I saw the big, fat, sweaty tear rolling down Chomsky's freckly, flappy face, I decided that he was an OK guy. I mean, I never really hung around with Chomsky after that--we weren't big buddies or anything, but I quit drawing pictures of the fat fuck. And as time wore on, Chomsky began to lose weight. He quit shitting and pissing his gigantic pants all the time, and started to dress half-ass decent. And Chomsky kept on singing all the time. I saw him on TV the other day on PBS. He was singing in some stupid opera or ballet or something. I just had to shake my head at that. "That fucking Chomsky, fat ass fucker...."I thought. "He got on TV, and I never did......." That fatass son of a bitch sure could sing though....

I must admit some of the shit i've seen on this site (as an occasional browser) over the last few weeks is just a fucking trip.
Clas: You are what you post!! Good riddens!!!
Ole: Please say it ain't so?! I was hoping to heat up the holidays with some SD magic. I may not be able to last another delay.

Rod Sterling: please keep "your" tales from the twilight zone to yourself. I just don't need those mental pictures before going to bed tonight.

Always lurking avec the Karma police,

kamfire

hey guys..geez! Miss two freakin' days and I have to read a novel to catch up! Well I don't have time. SO many things I have to do. Too many things I want to do.
back the the MIles Davis thing...
Hutch:
Sketches is great, but still I lean to Miles Ahead specifically Blues for Pablo, which I first heard by the Manhattan Transfer
(which they do an awesome rendition of!!)
I also like the Miles Davis quintete's "'Round Midnight" need I say more? Right now I'm getting my feet wet in Latin jazz. Do you know anything on the subject? I wish steely would do more latin flavored stuff...but if they don't I'lll still love them.
Fezo: Kind of Blue has a very special place in my heart. I love it too.

Altimira: I totally agree. Which is why there are bands like the Backdoor Boys. If more people stopped and listened, they world would be a better place and lots of adorable young men would be out of jobs...

Ole: you go too!!!

Well I must be moving on now. It's been an experience, as usual of course!

JDF

P.S. Hutch: I like you!!

P.P.S. Please excuse JDF from proper spelling today, she has been under the weather, and is suffering from sleep deprivation.

So, did no one enjoy the story? It's surely a sophomoric, albeit very crude effort. But I felt that at least one or two of you assholes in here might find it amusing.

Oh well, see you cocksuckers in hell. Thanks.

Could Commander and LouEllen be the same person? No shit Shirlock.

I really want to put a Steely Dan Tribute Band together.
Anyone interested?

Altimira- Don't listen to these creeps! If you don't post for 6 days, you CAN post six times in one day to make up for it.

Well said, LouEllen!
Commander- Doesn't seem that your writing were appreciated much on this board, but don't give up. There's always 'Penthouse Letters', or better yet, the readers' forum of some T&A Hot Rod/Monster Truck magazine.

nondairy creamer with that, ma'am?

made ya look.

yur pal,

Denny.

Mr. Luby - It was unusual for me. As I said, there were a few days when I posted more than twice, but it happens quite rarely. And there are days when I don't post at all. But what difference does it make? There are people who post considerably more often than I do.

Dear All - I presume "Jack of Speed" will be on the new one (thanks to Fanofdan for the preview info!) given Becker's past comments, which means that he'll be singing up front. I know this has been previously threaded, but Becker doesn't need to sing lead vocals when he seems to write such good music for others to sing, including Fagan. It is always easier to identify with a band through its lead singer, and indeed this person generally gets the kudos, however, I make it a habit to look and see who was responsible for the writing. Becker and Fagan make a great team, whether both wruite or just one of them, however, Fagan's voice is Steely Dan. Interestingly, anyone trying to sing "Midnite Cruiser" should do it a la Jim Hodder.

Alta: So I guess posting 6 times on 7/23 would be highly, highly unusual?

Happy Anniversary,

Mr. Luby

Hutch; glad to hear that you enjoyed Beck, though I had no doubts that you would. Even with the recognition he's received, I think he is not as well known as he should be.

Altamira; I found your post interesting on several levels. It's interesting to know about new groups who are trying to get things going for themselves. Thanks for informing us. It also seems that you didn't post at all for a day or two. I could be wrong about that, though.

Good day---

Regarding Sven's comment on my posting frequency, in the time that I have been on this board, I have generally posted only once a day. There have only been a few times that I posted more than once, and it would be quite unusual for me to post three times.

According to source on Dandom Digest - no Wayne Krantz on new album........ but then you all knew that already , didn't you !!

Opinions on guitars/guitarists ??????

"Hollywood" - the one you saw in '93 was very different.... it didnt have the 20 year old tag on the collar, and your right, it didn't say "ABC Studios" - which is where this one came from....

Q

Kommander... On top of everything else.. If smearing come into somebody's sandwich is "Genius Quality" emerging, consider this:
Brainless sailors in the Navy have done stuff like that for Eons.. It ain't genius.. At least swabbies don't call a 2 bit fraternity prank "Genius"..
Besides.. Why else would they be called "Seamen"...?

BigFan--right on. I recently went to the (perfidious) Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and in the LA section DID NOT ONCE see the name Steely Dan. Anybody else been there and see them mentioned? I had kids in tow & was a bit distracted.

Ruby, Queen of Dreams--I don't think so. I think it'll just generate more.

OMIO--Atlanta or Lexington looks like a possibility.

Q--oooh. I think I could fill that out.

asshold'em--LouEllen's right. Go post that piece of shit somewhere else, or better yet leave it in your warped, grubby, secretion-greased diary.

Stranger & Stranger - I caught Jeff Beck last night at The Boathouse in Norfolk, Va. It's a fairly small venue. I was about ten feet away from him. Incredible show... what a player !
He's got Jennifer Batten playing guitar with him on this tour now and, believe me, she can keep right up with him. She was playing all the midi stuff as well as some damn hot solos. Beck was the center of the show though and for good reason. Awesome.

You might be interested in checking out his tour schedule on the Epic web site: www.epicrecords.com/jeffbeck

He's doing three shows in New York State in upcoming weeks. One in Wantaugh.. then Syracuse... then Buffalo.
It would be a rare opportunity to see him in a small venue.

Of course all of us already knew this:
http://www.latimes.com:80/CNS_DAYS/990822/t000000028.html

Peter Erskin on tour:
http://www.latimes.com:80/excite/990820/t000074322.html

Sven - "I don't post for your benefit so why not adopt Altamira's attitude and not read what I write. That way you have no one to blame but yourself if you don't like what I say."
There's some fine pretzel logic for ya !!

As I thought it would, your response proved my point.

Hutch: I don't post for your benefit so why not adopt Altamira's attitude and not read what I write? That way you have no one to blame but yourself if you don't like what I say.

BTW, I don't read Altamira's posts anymore which has become much easier since she's no longer posting 3.31 times a day.

As far as being an "adolescent" and what "I" get from conducting myself in such a way, here, sniff this squirt-flower...

Here, Let Me Get You a Tissue,

Sven

Commander Hold 'Em,

I read your story and laughed so hard, I nearly peed myself. I see the character in this story to be a meek little bit of a man with serious penile erection issues, and whose fondest desires are to be hogtied and whipped by a big, beautiful bondage Mistress clad in black leather wardrobe. The character has low self esteem and a dismal, yet bleak future, but attempts to make himself worthy as a human being by stating that he has fine eclectic taste. Allow me to critique the story which you have so kindly submitted for our sheer entertainment:

"I hated the bitch for several reasons, but mostly because she tended to create a rift in the small office we shared."
(What was this rift? That she presented you with a dose of reality in your otherwise inert, slipshod work attitude? Because she tried to rectify the problems of an otherwise deteriorating business?)

"and also because the bitch was a money grubbing Jew whore."
(What in your deranged little adolescent mind possessed you to consider as true that she was a money grubber, a Jew and a whore? How did you come to this pathetic conclusion?)

"(the females are always the worst--nightmarish,unpredictable, freakish" (You seem to have issues dealing with members of the opposite gender, reminds me of a Freudian theory of knowledge.)

"Desks were piled with paper, inventory was impossibly fucked up, phone calls went unanswered, and finally, the basket case chick just gave up." (Complain, complain, does anything make you happy? Question: do you think that possibly seeking other means of employment would have made you more cheerful, nah! You're too stupid to figure that one out!)

"She was a big old girl, and wore lots of make-up, and had that haughty bitchy air about her like she was too good to talk to a lowly peion like you." (Did she tell you that she was too good for you before you came to this idiotic conclusion?)

"now I was yanking my hair out with an overabundance of tasks and projects."
(Ah, poor baby, does having to work overtire your small brain and hurt your hair?)

"and fucked her way into some money."
(Did she tell you this? Did you have intimate discussions with her?)

Whoa, this is too much for me to handle!
"A reader of great literature?" (I can see this in your writing style).
"A patron of fine arts":(Would that be the movies and satellite feeds?)
"An eater of fine foods": (Would these fine foods include a Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast with a side of hash browns?)
"A drinker of fine wines": (Don't tell me, let me guess, it's that wine that comes in a carton, so you don't injure your delicate, work-shy hands by pulling out the friggin' cork!)
"A fucker of fine women": (OH PLEASE!!! You have me stumped on this one. Ok, well it's a hooker's job to take a sucker's money!)
"a goddamn fucking king": (Of what the porcelain altar? Your sock drawer?)

"stupid fat idiot cocksucking bitch." (Was this another confidence she entrusted you with?)

"she had the audacity to order me around" (You're submissive side must have been obviously showing.)

"I wanted to strangle her in her sleep" (Now, you didn't tell us that you sleep with her)

"I'd have to be really very sneaky with the tubby old girl."
(I told you, you have a problem with women, tell me was your mama big too and she ignored your perfect little snotty ass? Is this why you keep referring to her as fat?)

"And I thought it over, too, for a very long time." (Did you also smell smoke?)

"I mean, why go to prison for the rest of my life"
(Because you'd be with big beautiful men named Bubba who want to play "bend down and pick up the soap" with you.)

"the tyke had come from between my bitch bosses' legs-"
(You came from your mama's, or is perfection hatched?)

"I would assert myself as the alpha male in this wolf pack of an office." (Again, masculinity issues.)

"cocaine lab into my early twenties." (How intelligent of you to fry your brains.)

"I locked myself into the bathroom in my apartment the next morning" (Why? so your mama wouldn't catch you yanking your wankie?)

"went to town on myself." (And all the while you were thinking of her, weren't you? You did this for your fat boss, didn't you!)

"the vial was filled to capacity with my prospective children" (Thankfully, sperm doesn't live more than 10 seconds outside the body.)

"I walked nonchalantly" (After what you did in the bathroom, how else would you walk?)

"a Subway club with honey mustard and jalapenos" (Did you know that eating jalapenos result in low sperm count?) "now that's a sandwich with style, baby", (Whose style? Mr. Eater of Fine Foods?)

"I was rewarding her for being such a great boss." (You want her don't you?)

"as if I was a submarine poking it's periscope above water to look for renegade ships." (According to Freud and Dr. Ruth, this is a sexual innuendo.)

"I was eventually fired for the incident. It seems that the in-store cameras had caught the whole proceedings, right down to the "gift-sandwich fiasco" (See, assholes always get caught!)

I would love to continue writing an analysis of the mental giant who authored this piece of crap, but I think I've had too much fun already!

Hey Ruby - I felt almost guilty for being away for a while, but every time I read the postings, it was difficult to get into the weave being spun. Recalling your past postings, you definately have a fixation on Walter. What strikes you about him? I've never heard him talk, and only rarely have I read his interviews, but he seems to have a harder edge than DF. And your dreams alway focus on him. Just an observation on my part.

Re perfume and other products, the SD songbook is ladened with possiblities for all sorts of projects.

Adios for now

Razor

Uncle Sven's Cabin - What a coincidence, I actually did get my hair cut today, in a new style that goes well with my new glasses. I did lots of other things too. And how much time do you spend reading and writing to this GB? Couldn't you be doing something more productive?

It didn't take me much time to post that excerpt from the article since I type 75 words per minute (although I wish I'd proofread it a bit better). However, I would like to point out that many folks here post links to articles and I would have done that in this case except the Washington City Paper isn't on line. I only typed part of the article, and I thought people might appreciate learning about what seems to be an intriguing new band. Other people mention new musical acts here, why shouldn't I? You didn't have to read it if you didn't find it interesting.

Fake Altamira - I'm not the only person here who cites references to DF, WB or SD in articles, why don't you complain about them? Or, better, why not just stop complaining? I should think some people around here at least might be interested to learn about a new band that is influenced by Fagen. I'm thinking about buying their CD, and if it's unusually good I'll write something about it here - just warning you in advance so you'll know not to read it. If you look back over the posts, you'll notice that quite a few of them deal with musicians other than B & F.

Danman- That was the same shirt (minus the ABC trademark) they were selling on the '93 tour.

I thought that short story sucked. Out of all the sites on the web, why did you post that crap here?

How many songs is Walter going to sing on the new record?

It is the writer's task to persuade the reader that fictional characters are real, alive and worth responding to.

Characterization can be achieved in several ways.You have told rather than shown the reader that 'Big Mama' is a bitch whore by repeating the words. There is no room for the reader to speculate on her past or motivation.
A good writer will reveal certain aspects of a character to imply further details- this is most easily achieved by having the subject do things. Try to show the body language of your characters.

Characters are also informed by their settings. A description of the narrator's desk, for example , would have revealed more about him.

What you have done (intentionally or otherwise) is give the reader a glimpse of one sick puppie.

Penis enlargement involves a relatively short stay in hospital.You could be out and banging the keys again before you know it.

light hug the curves pure cotton weave for the "Mrs. Dan" in your life......

http://home.tampabay.rr.com/danman1/ajashirt1.JPG

Patterson was her name....she was the 'big boss' and we did not get along. I hated the bitch for several reasons, but mostly because she tended to create a rift in the small office we shared. She was slightly wealthy from a past marriage to a small time major league baseball player, and also because the bitch was a money grubbing Jew whore. Before she showed up, we'd had this other female supervisor (the females are always the worst--nightmarish, unpredictable, freakish) who was basically a frigging basket case. Desks were piled with paper, inventory was impossibly fucked up, phone calls went unanswered, and finally, the basket case chick just gave up. We arrived one day only to find that she'd just quit on the spot saying something like, "I just couldn't take it any more."

So this is when "Big Mama," as I unaffectionately nicknamed the bitch-whore, arrived. Big Mama was the worst of the female bitch bosses. She was a big old girl, and wore lots of make-up, and had that haughty bitchy air about her like she was too good to talk to a lowly peion like you. Upon her arrival all procedures subsequently were destroyed or changed. Whereas I had once sat idly watching movies on the satellite feed during down-times, now I was busy running inventory reports. Though I had once taken several small breaks per hour, or played nifty jazz toons on the stereo, now I was yanking my hair out with an overabundance of tasks and projects. I initially gave the bitch whore the benefit of the doubt, but as the days wore on and my stress level rose, I began to feel a seething hatred towards "Big Mama," who was really an extremely uncultured country girl who'd moved to the city and fucked her way into some money. Here I was: a reader of great literature, a patron of fine arts, an eater of fine foods, a drinker of fine wines, a fucker of fine women, a goddamn fucking king next to this stupid fat idiot cocksucking bitch. And she had the audacity to order me around and come on at me with her snooty, country attitude. I wanted to strangle her in her sleep because she was big and I was afraid of her physically harming me. I mean, the bitch was not just fat, she was tall and big-boned as they say. She was all meat, big and round and rough and tough country woman who'd grown up milking cows and shooting possums and shit, stepping in big lumps of cow shit and scraping it off her stupid country ass boots with a butter knife and probably licking the goddamn knife. So I couldn't kill her while she was awake, she might hogtie me like they do in those stupid rodeos, you know, when the guy chases the little calf down and tackles it and ropes it up. I didn't want the big bitch pulling some sort of Pippi Longstocking type stunt like that on me. I'd have to be much sneakier with this bitch whore.... I'd have to be really very sneaky with the tubby old girl.

And I thought it over, too, for a very long time. Maybe I shouldn't kill the fatass, because I might get caught. I mean, why go to prison for the rest of my life because I couldn't stand this rotund and bovine country music listening freak whore? So I needed to consider my options. How could I really get to her? The kid: she had a kid by that small time major leaguer, Jack Patterson or something, I don't really watch much baseball so I can't remember the jackass's name, but anyway.....that's how she sealed the deal and got the real money. She'd popped out this ugly, fatass, thumbsucking baby from this guy and subsequently received a lifetime of continuous money from the asshole. Maybe I could kidnap the kid and ask for a ransom. But no, that would be risky as hell, and would probably compute into a similar prison term. I couldn't fuck with the kid, plus I didn't have the heart for it really, even as ugly as the little bastard was and knowing that the tyke had come from between my bitch bosses' legs--I still couldn't do it. What else could I do but win small victories behind her back which she would never discover, or else I thought she wouldn't...

Anyway, so I began by pulling these little devious tricks on her: spitting in her soft drink, placing a tack on her chair, keying her car on the way out of the parking lot, dumping liquid paper into the contents of her purse, etc. Things began to get better in the office for me. I was a more satisfied employee, and my confidence was growing. I would listen to her woes with a concerned look on my face. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Patterson(I forget the fat bitch's first name now)." "I can't believe someone would key your car(it wasn't a car, it was really one of those sports utility vehicles that the rich bitches with goofy ass ugly kids always drive)." "How did liquid paper get into your purse, Patterson??" Shit like that, and it seemed to be working. One day, though, I decided to pull the scam of all scams on her, though. I would deal the final winning blow to Big Mama. I would assert myself as the alpha male in this wolf pack of an office.

So here's what I did: I dug up a vial from an old chemistry set I'd used as a kid and had kept on using as a cocaine lab into my early twenties. I locked myself into the bathroom in my apartment the next morning before work with a couple of nudey mags and went to town on myself. Those must have been some good mags because the vial was filled to capacity with my prospective children in liquid form. You see, the big bitch ordered a footlonger from Subway every day with MAYO of all things. And the clincher of the whole plan depended on the fact that Big Mama normally ate half of the sandwich and then put the other half in the fridge for later(godamned bitch had the appetite of a starved ground sloth, for Christ's sake). It all depended on the refrigerated half of the sandwich. If I could only sneak my motherload of special mayo into the sandwich--which was a steak-and-cheeser--nice and fattening for the already overweight bosswoman. And the cheese combined with the mayo would help to mask my sauce gift perfectly. I waited until Big Mama had gone on a bank run, late in the afternoon. The office was basically empty--other employees were engrossed in their solitaire games, or paperwork, or some other mindless afternoon activity of little to no significance. I walked nonchalantly to the fridge as if I was retrieving my OWN sandwich (a Subway club with honey mustard and jalapenos--now that's a sandwich with style, baby), which I'd strategically placed next to hers hours before. I snaked her sandwich out of the fridge and bootlegged it back to the employee bathroom. No one looked up from their desk--they didn't care, they were lost in the abyssmal chasm of a dull afternoon at work. I then carefully emptied my reward into the cholestorol filled meatwich--I was rewarding her for being such a great boss. She was the towering example of an HR representatives' dream. She was a pillar of strength amongst a flock of submissive and admiring sheep. She was the center of our solar system and we were just moons circling Saturn, or miscellaneous nebulae, or spacedust or some shit. She was a big, fat, mean, no-personality, classless, tasteless whorebag who was about to make a meal out of my day old congealed bodily fluid.....and I loved her for it at that moment.

I opened the door, stealthily peaking my head out almost as if I was a submarine poking it's periscope above water to look for renegade ships. I was hoping not to see my battleship of a bosswoman, Big Mama. And I, in fact, heard her bitchy voice from the other room, scolding another employee for a misplaced stock item--such a horrible and bitchy voice. I had to be quick now, time was of the essence here, the fatass whore would be walking back to the back room to devour the other half of her precious sandwich, which happened to be in my hand right now. I slipped out the bathroom door and deposited the suped-up sub into the frigerator, and slunk off to my lowly employee desk chair with an innocent and angelic smile on my face. I had positioned my chair so that I would be facing Big Mama tete-a-tete, as they say, when the first bite occurred. She galumphed on over to the fridge and retrieved her jizzwich and then sat down at her desk to unwrap it delectably. The serene look of an intrepid traveller returning from a long day's sojourn came over Big Mama's face as she gazed longingly at the cold, meaty, juicy sandwich. Everything was running in slow motion, it seemed. She picked up the sandwich and I heard beautiful "Chariots of Fire" type music in my head. As she took the first bite, a look of incredulity came over my face. The moment I'd planned for and savored in my mind was here and now in it's full and blooming fruition. I felt an inner calm descend upon my soul as I watched the slothlike boss lick her lips happily, with the joy of a young baby child eating tapioca pudding, or melted marshmallows, or melted vanilla ice cream (you get the picture). I sat and watched her finish every last tiny scrap of that special sandwich and had the audacity even to inquire of her after she was done, "was that a good sandwich?" She just looked at me with her normal annoyed bitch-face and said something like, "I guess...." But I didn't care. This time it didn't piss me off. I'd triumphed over Big Mama. I was smarter than her, and I would always have this memory to console myself with in my times of difficulty and sorrow.

And I respected Big Mama now. She had pushed me to the limit and forced the genius qualities to emerge from the depths of my tortured inner self. And when I look back on it, it doesn't seem so bad now, even though I was eventually fired for the incident. It seems that the in-store cameras had caught the whole proceedings, right down to the "gift-sandwich fiasco" as I like to call it now. I was brutally reprimanded for my cruelty and the bitch had me canned, but it was worth it. No, I didn't kill Big Mama, but I think I caused the death of some other part of her. She will forevermore harbor fears of sandwiches and other easily tampered foods. She will always wonder what the mystery ingredient of the gift-sandwich was. I envision Big Mama waking from a horrible nightmare in the early morning hours, heart beating rapidly, pulse racing, tears streaming down her fat chubby cheeks--the one abiding image that she cannot shake from her overweight and grease-filled brain is my leering and evil, triumphant grin...........

Razor Boy: I thought you ducked out of sight forever - I'm so glad you are back! I love your perfume idea! Let's call the product My Rival, too. I thought Aja would be a good one. The bottle could look like the cover of the album. Very classy.

You wrote, "...the emotional investment required to be a die hard SD fan fluctuates wildly..." I never realized that before. But you're right, of course. I've had 2 dreams in the last week with SD in some form making an appearance. In the first one, DF and WB were taking calls on the Ken Kay show (HA!) and I kept trying to phone in but I couldn't hit the right numbers (that phone thing happens in a lot of my dreams)
In the 2nd dream, which was last night, WB made a surprise appearance at our neighborhood block party (more improbable yet) and he even sang Any Major Dude but I missed it because I was called next door to help with some trivial chore. Later, as I was getting out of our old Camaro (which we sold a few years ago) WB called to me from the top of the driveway. He even knew my name. He wondered why I was so crabby. I wondered why he had 2 lip rings on his bottom lip. He went inside & I continued my dream.

My question is: will these dreams stop when the New One comes out?

fezo: once SD gets into your dreams, I think they're in to stay. Be prepared, dude.

rb

OK. It's Patti Austin's "Street of Dreams," and tune 9 is indeed "I.G.Y." She introduces the cd by saying, "this project gave me the opportunity to record some of the best songs ever written. i am forever grateful."

At last! Mr. Fagen receiving his due! I'll leave the nitpicky stuff about the production, etc. to the audiophiles. It's just that, much as I adore Mr. Fagen's voice, it's great to hear his tune sung by someone who can really belt. And I love how she does the "oooh...." Seek it out.

OMIO--Thanx for the tip. EW&F, eh? Waddaya tryin' to do, kill me with sudden envy?

Ole: Yer in luck! Tower Of Power doing NYC Sept 18, at the Beacon.. They're now in the midwest, with the BB King blues Festival.. Other East Coast dates, Long Island, Baltimore, etc. in Sept. also... www.bumpcity.com for more dates..
Just saw Earth Wind & Fire last night.. hoowee! Just love them silver suits...
Reduntantly Joni: always glad to listen.. that's how we learn..
You try "Take Heart" by Mimi, OK? Write me privately for names, dates, places, & other factitious disorders.. California folkies can be just as full of shit as anybody else, I suppose..
And Sun. evening.. Santana...
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me...
Be careful with that motorcycle, Richard..
Damn.. too late..

It's fun to laugh at crippled people! I've got an idea: why don't they just wheel Joni out onstage in an iron lung and then maybe she can do a "Springsteen-esque" set of three+ hours!

"Fake" and "Sven" - I have a question for you. What does it accomplish for you personally by being sarcastic and hurtful to another human being? Does it make you feel superior? I think it makes you look like an adolescent.

Did it ever occur to you that Alta's comments might lead you in the direction of some really good new music?

I haven't had a computer for very long and this is the only message board I've ventured into. I got into this one for one reason only... I think Becker and Fagen are two of the finest composers this country has produced. I wanted to share my enthusiasm with others and, of course, talk about other things both musical and otherwise. I've been told that compared to other message boards on the web this one is rather tame. This leaves me totally bewildered.

When I'm standing face to face with my friends and acquaintances I certainly don't stand there and insult them with sarcastic remarks and I doubt that you do that. Under the cloak of anonymity you jump at the chance.

Go ahead and send me an insulting response if that's what you want to, but in it, just answer my question... what does your childish behavior accomplish for YOU.

JWM: Good info. Thanks. Maybe Roland will make a one-pound version of the V-8 and Joni can play twice as long.

Altamira: You really have too much time on your hands. Take a walk. Go to a rally. Visit the Oshkosh flannel factory. Put a new belt-buckle on lay-away. Cut your hair just a little shorter. Put a couple of new links on your wallet chain instead of your browser. Order a double expresso incognito and read the paper upside down.

Scam & Scam: Brave, Studly and Wise has examined your posts and accepts your invitation to drink your scotch and disable your passenger-side airbag(s).

Pompe: Please quit posting as Clas while your master is sleeping.

Jaco's Rules,

Svenenski

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MC

Donald and Walters names cropped up yesterday ... I was reading the back of a Steely Dan CD and there they were. Just wanted to share that useful information.

Must...hear...new...CD...Must...hear...new...CD...

IGY will be track # 9. The plan was for a reunion with Patti, but I got John Tesh instead.

OMIO--Do they ever come east? And not NY? I'm a fan of Richard & Mimi Farina. One of my all-time faves is "Celebrations for a Gray Day."

I have it from a reliable source (the Permasqueeze) that on her new one, Patti Austin does "I.G.Y."

Anyone get Jerry Jazz Musician? Lots of interesting stuff, including a recent feature on Monk.

Donald Fagen was mentioned in an article in the Washington City Paper yesterday. Unfortunately, the City Paper is not on-line, so I will quote here from the appropriate section of the article (for those who live in the DC area, the article appears on page 46).

Bottomland started two years ago, as the dream - literally - of songwriter-pianist Matt Jones. "I basically woke up one morning with this crystal-clear vision of this band that would have percussion and original songs and vocal harmony," says Jones.

He made a compilation taope of the kind of sound he was going for, everything from Talking Heads to Cassandra Wilson, Donald Fagen, and Sting. He shared it with friends. The resulting band's sound blends West African percussion, soul vocals, and jazz-inflected melodies.

"I had this sense that the music was going to be uplifting," says Jones. " I wanted the audience to come away somehow spiritually brighter."

A positive review in the Washington Post of the band's debur CD, Feet of Clay, prompted a friend to pitch it to co-workers at NPR.

"It wasn't like, 'Hey, chich out this great band'," says Allen [percussionist Anderson Allen]. "It was more like, 'These people are in this basement, and they still manage to pull it off'."

But the national airplay resulted in e-mails from places as far away as Wichita and Seattle. A man in Mississippi wrote that when he heard the music, he was driving down a beautiful tree-lined road and it all came together. So far, Bottomland has sold more than a fourth of its CDs via amazon.com and is planning a second pressing.

"We're not talking big numbers here," Allen says. "But from where we're starting, 250 is a big number."

"Two-hundred and fifty," Waters [percussionist Saleem Wayne Waters] pipes in, "is bigger than zero."

We are withdrawing from the case effective immediately due to our lack of creativity and raw guts.
Unfortunately, as is the case for so many on the Guestbook our client will be further victimized; however, this time the victimization results from our shear disregard for anything but our own self interests and our cowardly souls.
But then we are lawyers, barfly music promoters, photographers, and trust fund lightweights.

Yoursin Law
Mr. R.Scam
Managing Director
Sr. Partner - Scam&Scam

even if that's true - "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" ? Please listen .

So I guess this means no new Fagen wailing and Becker sailing until the new millenium, eh? I m ust admit I was making plans to call off work and make November 2nd my own Steely Dan new release holiday, for which I could not think of a name...SD-Day? In any event, is anyone out there privvy to any new auditory information on this new one, or for that matter, any of the SD Family's new projects? The vivacious and breathtaking Rosie Vela is at work on her new one, but that's all I've heard. Sincerely, 'I DON'T GOT THE NEWS'

Look at this. Isn't this the same thing that was supposed to have been DF's problem back in january and held things up for so long? I wonder what his singing will sound like. Anybody know how fully he recovered?

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19990819/re/leisure_singer_3.html

Every now and then, there is a period when the GB goes off in a totally weird direction, and it's because there is nothing new about the band this web site is supposed to deify. The emotional investment required to be a die hard fan of SD fluctuates wildly; sometimes month to month, even week to week, but when it goes day to day, it gets freaky. Can we not even get a 30 second sound bit from one of the tracks from the supposed new offering? Something we can use as a beacon of what is to come? Clas, I have the feeling that you are really WB, going through one of his ornery stages. Your degree of impatience is alarming.

Ruby - I would use "My Rival" as a backdrop for a perfume commercial. The organ piece in that song makes it special. Who would you pick to play the "whining stranger - a fool in love with time to kill?" And how about "Anthony," owner of the bar and grill?

Razor

Re Joni: Don't read what I didn't write there, oh anonomous defender of Joni.. She's a superstar in her own right.. But it's a fact that Mimi's guitar work influenced her.. My sources on that are a couple of people from the old Monterey-Carmel folk scene, circa 1964.. I think they were reliable when they said that, but who knows?

Pro Tools at work

http://www.eqarchive.com/archive/7-98/ColumnStory5.htm

Onkel T - yes, that was very stupid of you to say so. But am I angry?

No.

See?

Clas, fuck you, you're so stupid grrrr!

Sven! Yes. No more ferrys. Do you really like the look of Princess öööhh, öh, Princess... VICTORIA!? Say it isn't true.

But did you know she's gone to Harvard? No that sounds crazy, "she's gone to Harvard", okay she was GOING to Harvard but now she's back.

T Collins - "can't figure out when someone is defending him"? Oboy, what's your brain resolution? 75 dpi?

I figure you're not a halfbrother to Einstein, so you can't piss me off. Wanne bet?

Say something stupid to me, let's see if I get pissed. Go on now...

C

OMIO : your posts are usually ok but maybe you should go to school on Joni - she's on top of the mountain in a class of her own. She raised 'popular' music to a level others cannot reach.

Mike your aunt is one of the most beautiful and talented women on the planet. She must be a tomorrows girl.

looks like a cokehead frat boy is going to be president!

foose creme

To Whom It May Concern:
Our client, Mr. Reelin In the Years, was conceived as the result of a rock and roll union consumated in 1972. Throughout his formative years, he was told he was a rock classic and bound for immortality. Then, our client says, when he turned 21, his creaters and guardians, a Mr. W Becker and D. Fagen, took him on tour, forced him to dress up like jazz muzak, and made him feel unworthy and ridiculed in many locations and in full public view. Unless restitution or good cause otherwise is received, our client is prepared to press criminal charges for child abuse and institute civil suit for damages to his self esteem.

Yours in Law,
Mr. R. Scam

Clas- I think you could fit that list on a bubble gum wrapper

Oleander- this is not for you

Clas you may be talented, but you are clearly mentally unstable and should seek professional help and guidance for the sake of yourself and your family. I certainly hope you do not currently have a drinking problem.

Jeff Beck rules on guitar- too bad we'll never see anyone that vituoso play LIVE with The Dan.

Kinky is right this board has gone to shit - although some of the newer folk seem to be trying NOT to have the same disfuntional self absorbed egoistic discourse that has dominated this forum forever.

"Show Biz kids makin' movies of themselves, you know they don't give a fuck about anybody else"

I've bookmarked Oleander's web page and show it to friends for a great gag !
All my music friends bust out. I think the site will soon be able to support advertising because of the traffic it's attracting in the Northeast.

T.Collins; good post--I love the line in "Bulworth" when he says, "We just need to keep fuckin' each other until we're all the same color." Hope I haven't offended anyone with the "French" in that quote.

JWMalibu; Yeah, Jaco....another one of those "pathetic jazz-players". What a phenomenon he was! Just unbelievable. I can't think of anyone I've heard who could do what he could with a bass.

For a good jazz album with some blues influence and lots of excellent guitar work and IMPROVISING, check out the "Three or Four Shades of Blues" album by Mingus. Some great guitar work by Larry Coryell, John Scofield, and Philip Catherine, which is rare where Mingus was concerned because he wasn't really a big fan of the guitar. It's a great album!

I'm going to drop this whole Clas-racism thing. It's obvious, he knows not of what he speaks of, does not have a good command of the English language and can't figure out when someone is defending him. He is just a damn, simple-minded fool.

LaWanda,
I don't like being called "nigger" either. Not only is it derogatory, it shows complete ignorance of the person using the word, including rap artists. You may hear some African-Americans referring to each other by this term, but it doesn't mean that we all do, nor do we appreciate or tolerate usage of it.

Ole: Tower Of Power never really went away.. Their horn section is indeed the standard by which horn sections are judged.. They've also got one of the finest 2 pc. (bass & drum) rhythm sections, Ever.. They've been very active, tour all the time, & if anybody has a chance to see them, DO IT! They have a special disc with three different versions of Squib Cakes which is a Secret Weapon album for some DJs..
Joni: Got most of her chops from Mimi Farina, Joan Baez's (more talented) little sister.. Doesn't have the voice of Joan, but much better songwriter & guitarist..
Unfortunately, the term "Nigger" has become a commodity in rap music.. Are we pots or kettels, and who gets to decide? Everyone has their turn in the Fire.. It's how you choose to burn that matters.. Nothing Else.

You're absolutely on the money, Rix..."Hejira" seems to be the singlemost critically acclaimed JM album! I think Joni put 110% effort into making that album a masterpiece after the critics slammed "Hissing..." ~ In retrospect, "Hissing..." was WAY ahead of its time, with its use of world/ethnic timbres and polyrhythms - and both Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel have acknowledged how that album influenced their subsequent forays into the same genre. But we ALL know who put the icing on the proverbial cake on the "Hejira" to "Shadows & Light" era ~ a young hipster by 'da name of Jaco! The basslines in "Don Juan's..." consistently send shivers up my back!! The story goes that Jaco kept insisting on being "up" in the mix...and I'm glad JM agreed, because his playing was that good...

I see everyone going off about Joni Mitchell so I thought I'd join in. For me, "Hejira" is a true masterpiece and "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" is not far behind. I also like the two newest ones. "Court & Spark" is a classic along "Hissing of Summer Lawns". I'm not real big on the style she adopted in the '80s, but I ALWAYS love her lyrics. She's one of the TRUE MASTERS of lyrics!

The special fondness she had for Mingus caused my fondness for her to grow as he was one of my favorites, too.

Speaking of lyrics, that's an area that Steely Dan excels in, also.

wish the CD had been released two months ago. Then there wouldn't be all this bullshit hostility going on on the GB. Clas could finally die a happy man and put us all out of our misery.

Listen, white boy: I don't care if you put a thousand quotation marks around the word NIGGER, it is still highly offensive. You say your friend used it, right? And that makes it okey-dokey for you to use it "in context", right? Then let me pose this question then: what kind of person would have a "friend" who used the word NIGGER? Watch your back, white boy.

Hello Clas, my name is Bill. Please do yourself a favor and call your local AA chapter as soon as possible and get yourself to a meeting. You don't look too good to us.

Sven - yes, the '90s JM albums are simply wonderful too! "Night Ride Home" marked the return to a more sparse arranging style, "Turbulent Indigo" was WELL deserving of the Grammys it won, and "Taming the Tiger" (1998) marked yet another curve in her musical road ~ that is, with the extensive use of Roland VG-8. It is the VG-8 that is going to enable us to see Joni play live again (hopefully)! Not being a full-fledged guitarist (I play keyboards/synthesizers/woodwinds/reeds/tuned percussion/guitar & bass), I haven't used the VG-8, but its use for Joni is two-fold:
1) it allows JM to access the 50+ guitar tunings she uses without retuning and/or swapping guitars...with a push of a foot pedal, and 2) it's also a guitar synthesizer with a rapid-enough triggering system to make it effective (guitar synths have always suffered from varying amount of timing delay problems). The "guitar orchestra" arrangements on "Taming" are cool, the fact that those samples are triggered NOT by a keyboard makes them sound unique...Joni suffered form polio as a child, so it's difficult for her to stand for long periods of a time right now, but hopefully the VG-8 will encourage her to do some sort of full-fledged tour! Anyone see the the Dylan/Joni/Van Morrison concerts last year? That was awesome! :))

Just wondering - could Barney the Dinosaur be Ricki Martin in disguise ? If not someone's stealing someone's material.

When musicologists look back 100 years from now joni will take her rightful place.
I 've been buying all her music since the beginning, the beautiful "Song to a Seagull".
A must is the live set "Miles of Aisles". CD's like "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" and "Hejira" will be in museums one day.

Sorry to disagree but I don't think her later work stands up .

I remember a concert (many moons ago) where we were so close to the stage we were inside the P.A. circle and could hear acoustically.People shouted requests and she played them all.

Clas! My Swedish friend! Now we can ride across the river to the other side instead of waiting on that dangerous ferry! By the way, the Princess of Sweden is beautiful! Please give her all my love and a chew-toy. Oh, and this Great Dane...

JW: Please add to your Joni list "Turbulent Indigo" and "Taming the Tiger". Did you know Joni played a NY club called "The Fez" in 1995 and that management had to eject Chrissie Hynde during the performance? Seems her beau at the time, Adam Sandler, wouldn't pay cover to get in and then, once Chrissie got him in, an incensed waitress sprayed beer all over him for not tipping. Chrissie was screaming so loud at Sandler that she was ejected. I believe that's the last time Sandler dated outside of his faith.

Old Hippie Alert: Make it a point to listen to Joni's original version of "Woodstock" on "Ladies of the Canyon". You'll understand why Crosby, Stills & Nash worshipped at her feet and why the kids of today set things on fire when they can't find anything to challenge their livers with.

Diplomatic Immunity,

Sven

Oleander - who the fuck are you to decide wether I say things I mean or not mean? How do you know?

Was it because I used the word "Jews"? Well, change the word "Jew" to "Arab" or "Palestinian" and maybe you feel better.

Damn selfrighteous woman. Go to hell.

You wanne be outed M?

I think it was Hobbes who said that a state of nature was a state of warfare.
Things seem very natural around here. Let me soothe the savage breast. If music be the food of love, here's some silverware :

1) Oregon 'Out of the Woods'
2) Shakti 'A handful of Beauty'
3) Joni Mitchell 'For the Roses'
4) Chick Corea & Gary Burton 'Crystal Silence'

JM Malibu (not malibu Barbie) - I would not call my music equipment a studio. Did I say that? And new toys? No way. My dog got a whistletoy yesterday but it's already broken.

Oleander - what is this shit you're saying?

"JW--My friend, I'm going to out Clas, though it probably won't help. This tends to happen when there's a bunch of new people on the GB--Clas tends to say inflammatory things which he may or may not feel. Some of which have made appearances here before. It tends to bring out a lot of passion in all involved. I have heard his music, and he is talented IMNO (in my nonmusician opinion). He's also blessed with a very talented son. Anyway, I'd love to hear music by any & all of you GB muse-itchin's."

Who the hell do you think you are?

T Collins - "Clas: if Walt and Don read what you said about jazz, etc - they'd probably laugh in your face and tell you you're full of shit!"

Let me tell you this; I don't give a shit what Walter Becker or Donald Fagen would think of me.

I used the word nigger yes. I should have wrote it "nigger", it was a quote. And I think you know that.

Oleander - let me ask you - is it not the other way around? There are always new handles here when the regulars don't like what I write. Cowards. And don't come with that old "I have some language problem"-shit again. I understand very well what you and other people are writing. And I can read between the lines too.

Malibu Barbie - I would not call my music equipment a studio. Did I say that? And new toys? No way. My dog got a whistletoy yesterday but it's already broken.

C

see what a night of wining & dining does to one's spelling?

RS: "blue", eh? I'll look.

fezo: what mysterious, sexy dreams you have! Just the vocals is very evocative. Something tells me you're out of my league, but I won't give up.

JWMalibu: thanks for the joni pointers. i like eclectic.

anyone: i've seen an ad for a new perfume called "Red Door." Of course I thought of SD right away. But the ad lacked punch - I think if they played H@TWW as a backdrop it would be smashing!
I'll bet there are several potential Steely Dan inspired perfume names. Katy Lied would be a great one. Oleander another. The wrong people own perfume companies...

rb

Thanks, Oleander ~ you're entirely right...I'm taking the inflammatory remarks FAR too seriously! After all, how could anyone seriously use both "jazz" and "nigger" in the same post?

Altamira ~ You're definately getting into some good music there, and I'm sure the boys would be proud of ya'! If you haven't yet, give "In A Silent Way" a whirl. Miles brings together a plethora of red-hot players including Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin and Tony Williams. "Shhh/Peaceful" is mind-boggling, can music get much more evocative than that?

Ruby/common ~ When you've finished listening to the "essential" Joni ("Ladies of the Canyon"/"Blue"/"Court & Spark"), give the '80s Joni a spin, if you enjoy eclecticism..."Wild Things Run Fast"/"Dog Eat Dog"/"Chalkmark in a Rainstorm" are wonderful albums IMHO. "Wild" is Joni's love album to then-husband Larry Klein (bassist/composer/producer), full of Wayne Shorter's sinuous soprano lines and insanely beautiful composing. Thomas Dolby produced "Dog", and it's a politically-charged album literally soaked in the then-fashionable "Fairlight" CMI, a $25-50k synthesizer which would be easily outpowered by any $1,000 synth of today! My fav of those three (and probably one of my favorite of ALL JM albums) is "Chalkmark". Produced at Peter Gabriel's studio, it featured a number of songs with other singers ranging from the Gabriel-meister himself ("Secret Place" - kick-ass piece), Don Henley, Wendy & Lisa, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty and yes, even Billy Idol! The songwriting is impeccable, but then again, Joni is much like D&W - perfection...or shine it! It's all good...and if ya' wanna' take another turn down the musical genius highway, try Zappa's "Grand Wazoo" or "Hot Rats" ~ excellent points of departure...peace!

Clas ~ what new toys are happening in your studio?

Awright!! If you haven't gotten the subtle refs yet, GO TO THE OFFICIAL PAGE FOR EXCITING UPDATES!! 1) wish I had a jukebox like that; 2) terrific interview in EQ with Mr. Nichols. Was it really there? 3) The New One is aimed at first quarter '00. I think they got that date from fezo.

JW--My friend, I'm going to out Clas, though it probably won't help. This tends to happen when there's a bunch of new people on the GB--Clas tends to say inflammatory things which he may or may not feel. Some of which have made appearances here before. It tends to bring out a lot of passion in all involved. I have heard his music, and he is talented IMNO (in my nonmusician opinion). He's also blessed with a very talented son. Anyway, I'd love to hear music by any & all of you GB muse-itchin's.

Michael--Please give your auntie Peg a big kiss for me, and uncle lovebob too, and ask them when they're coming east next. You come too.

RS--I always think of you as the Master of Emissions.

fezo--you sly shark. What can I do?

OMIO--Tower of Power back?? Man, I dig those guys. Are they still any good? Does that horn section still flay the skin from your face? Yes, it was Machito. Other fabulous Latin powerhouses are Tito Puente, Ruben Blades, Willie Colon, Celia Cruz (she can STILL do it!), Fania All-Stars (especially Lo Que Pide La Gente).... There's a cool Colombian (I think) group called Bloque who does Latin-inflected rock--very unique. One of my favorites, believe it or not, is Sergio Mendes' "Primal Roots." Beautiful.

JDF--You go, girl.

You lyric fans gotta get a load of this: http://zappastuff.homepage.com/steelydan.htm Stranger & Stranger , this is not for you.

That discussion about jazz-players took on a life of its own. How did we end up on racism? I would think that music would bridge that gap in this day and age. "The universal language".

Guess not!

Dr. Mu, et al - I went to Tower tonight and bought Kind of Blue; it is just glorious. Aside from the delights of the music itself, the sound quality is marvelous - it sounds so crisp and clear even on my little boombox. There is a sticker on the CD box that reads, in part, "JAZZ MASTERPIECE Perhaps the most influential & best-selling jazz record ever made." Well, that's quite a ringing endorsement, isn't it?

Josie Dan Fan - You may have a point about jazz's lack of lyrics. Jazz, and classical, do have some pieces with lyrics, but most of the music's instrumental, and neither style sells very well. Also, both these styles of music are complex and require repeated listenings to understand and appreciate all the nuances and depth of the music, and I don't think most folks are that patient - the bulk of the music-buying public wants something simple, with some words, that they can understand and appreciate right away; they don't want to take the time required to fully enjoy a more complicated (and ultimately more rewarding) style of music.

F#maj9: I should have known - a Pavlovian reaction to playing Come A Little Bit Closer 100 times...la la la

Check out Roger Nichols' "annotated voice mail" interview with Walter Becker on the ODP

Fezo: you sly dog you

Dr.. Ricky Martin hires some of the best producers & arrangers in the Latino scene.. The fact he survived Menudo is a credit to his ability.. He'll probably be around for quite a while.. Latino bands have always had great horn arranging.. Who was that guy in NYC during the 40s that founded the whole Afro-Cuban thing?? Machito?? Guys from the jazz scene in Harlem would go jam with him.. Wish those shows were taped! There's a good flick about being a Latino musician, The Mambo Kings..
Gil Evans & jazz orchestra: Check out Gil & Miles work on Porgy & Bess.. "It Ain't Necessarily So" has never been surpassed to this day..
In The Meantime: Tower Of Power just released a new Live Album! They've had an extremely productive year, with solo efforts from Doc Krupka, Rocco Prestia & others in the band.. Plus handling one of the heaviest touring shcedules in the biz.. Check 'em out at www.bumpcity.com
Is it June 31st yet?

Dr.Mu- great post. my theory: Jay and the Americans. You back them up and the infectious groove thang rubs off on you, like it or not.

F#maj9

See Hoops latest digest for a wonderful explanation of the significance of the new(ish) master recordings of "Kind of Blue" I traded in my old copy earlier this year. HUGE difference! There's something about "All Blues" that puts me in a hypnotic state.

Just love Miles Smiles, too. The recordings with Gil Evans is mind-blowing.

I haven't heard much discussion of the Latin influence on Steely Dan. Frankly, I always enjoyed that edge from Do It Again to Gaucho. I have not delved enough into Metal Leg to learn why they incorporated Latin beat and chord progression except for why not. Anybody have a story? I have to sheepishly admit that I was reminded early this morning after getting out of the shower. I flipped on the TV to check on the chance of rain and surfed wuickly through the stations...stopped when I heard this suped-up Latin sound with blasting horns, congas, whistles, the whole nine yards. Yes, it was Ricky Martin (formerly of Menudo) singing "Cup of Life" with production values out the ying-yang. I thought that the la Vida Loca song was a fluke, but this sounded pretty good - like the older Miami Sound Machine after a B-12 shot. He's being sold as a phenomenon and he seems to actually be. Latin music including Tejano has probably been looking for a standard bearer since Selena. With the growing Latino population and with winding down or post-grunge/rap stuff - it's hard to read these things - but it seems that with Ricky Martin and those gorgeous clones of Shania Twain out the wazoo, we may see an explosion of Latin music and "new country." But who knows? - pop movements are impossible to predict.

But I've always like Latin music and reggae, because the mathematical possibilities always seemed greater than rock. I would like Tejano better (that's mostly the style I hear in Texas) if it wasn't for the synth accordion polka thing much of that style of music has - sort of like a plugged-in Minnesotan mariachi band.

Oleander-
you got it! I've always thought our mountains would make a great backdrop for Dan, we'll see...

Too bad Zappa's not around anymore. Besides being an extremely talented individual he was a good person as well.

Very good guess, Fezo !!

That Becker/Nichols interview is a hoot.

odd musical dream last night; was in a bar, heard this godawful solo instrumental version of "Gaucho" over the speakers; couldn't tell if it was a trumpet or a trombone, just knew that it sucked; suddenly from the back of the bar the late Al Hirt strolls out playing that odd looking thing Chuck Mangione plays (fugelhorn? dobro? cat's harp?). It was Al who was bastardizing "Gaucho"

but then later in my slumber the dream gods had mercy on me and i got to hear the whole song, but just the vocal mix. Fagen sounded great.

"Kind of Blue" rules. I was one of those last four years purchasers. It's one of the few CD's in my collection that cause me to stop what I'm doing and just "listen" when it's on.

Ole: new guess for the pool. first quarter of '00.

First of all, did I indicate that Pro Tools was a web app, "Malibu Barbie"? Uhhhhh, no...but any "musician of 30 years" (sorry, you're thinking of another one of the "real" musicans who was offended with Clas' racist/anti-American/ignorant comments - I've been playing music for 40 years), would know that ProTools is a turnkey digital recording system WHICH from which files can easily be converted to MP3 format. But then again, if you were a musician yourself you would have easily understood that...just like you would understand jazz and other complex music...

I normally don't post much on this messageboard. I've enjoyed it over the years because of the intelligence level and literacy of the group, but most of all because it revolves around the group which has had the most profound influence on my own writing style: Stelly Dan. I've seen Clas AND others post rhetoric that I didn't agree with, but have never joined in on the fray except to leave comments of a positive nature which I felt would benefit the group and/or in trying to relate.

This entire Clas "jazzmusician"/"nigger"/"fuck you whitebread America" bothered me enough to react the way I did...I'm certainly not the only one who felt Clas' comments warranted a retort. Look at the thread - there are PLENTY of people who felt he was full of shit as well. And lemme' tell you this, Clas: if Walt and Don read what you said about jazz, etc - they'd probably laugh in your face and tell you you're full of shit! If you're so right, Clas - why are all the obvious musicians on this board telling you you're wrong? Who the HELL do you think W&D listen to when they're sitting around the house? Steely Dan? "If jazz is so good, why doesn't it sell well" - If Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" is so good, why did they throw fruit at the orchestra at its premiere?

So go ahead and support your xenophobic Swede through the side of your mouth. Delude yourself by saying, "He's just kidding, he doesn't really mean what he says about Americans, blacks and our great American artform"...After all, Ace of Base Roxx (hey, they sold lots of records!), and Wayne Shorter gets lost in Steely Dan charts - so the "boys" have to help him to understand the "chords Joni invented" (I love that one)!

Get real...

Josie DanFan - Got my copy of "Kind of Blue" out after reading the recent posts. I hadn't listened to it in a while. Nice relaxing groove.
Speaking of Gil Evans.. what do you think of "Sketches of Spain" ? I don't usually care for jazz with a lot of orchestration (i.e. Charlie Parker with strings) but I like Sketches. It's kind of haunting in a way. Like an impressionist painting.

Clas,

Talk to me again when you can make sense and know what you're talking about?

4 hours after it is posted the same post comes back! Help, I am creating a monster!

Malibu Barbie - Joni Mitchell said; -I don't believe in art that only seven people in the world can understand.

Hi guys! Listen to what I found, an old interview with mr Becker when he was promoting 11 TOW;

Becker is eating a great Hawaiian breakfast, calling this Swedish journalist who is sitting in his kitchen and in Sweden, it's a grey afternoon and it's raining outside;

- I'm a nice person, polite and funny. But I became a devil when I write songs.

-We had horrible tourexperiences when we toured back in the 70s, we had to tour with Uriah Heep! Black Oak Arkansas!!

Interviewer; -What did your wife say about Cringemaker?

- She laughed. I'm in on my third marriage so I got a lot of background material.

Interviewer; The lyrics to Surf And Or Die must have been taking you a long time, half a year, to write?

- No, it took me an afternoon.

Expressen, Saturday the 8 Oct 1994. Journalist; Mĺns Ivarsson

Roy Scam - Master of Omission! That's sounds cool.

Stranger&Stranger (not to confuse with "the stranger") - Palle Danielsson, Lars Gulin, Bobo Stenson, Alice Babs (Ellington) Rune Carlsson (a friend of mine, played with a bunch of Yankees, Wayne Shorter among others) Monica Zetterlund etc etc...

T Collins - yeah, Doctors and Professors, that make sense, but you forgot million dollars actors. And have you never heard of Falashas? Have you never heard of Sammy Davies JR? There are such thing as black jews, but I don't know if the Seinfelt Jewish Manhattan Society accept them.

And for the record; I don't have a Homepage.

And yes, I've been trying for a long time to gather the musicians here, or those who make music, to make a "Sign In Stranger" CD. No one is interested. And one New York Tough regular, YGK, got shitscared and disappeared.

Well, I have some work to do, got to go.

Roy: Thanks for the information. I love Kinda Blue, but my all time favorite is Miles Ahead. Yet another dynamic duo: Gil Evans and Miles Davis. It's a thing of beauty!!

Barbie: If you care.. In my personal opinion, I think most jazz doesn't sell because it doesn't have words, nothing to hold the attention of the average Ken. But if you take the time to listen, you don't need words at all, in fact words would ruin the piece. Maybe it is related to intelligence, but you should get it cause you're a nurse, an astronaut, and school teacher. Not to mention a fashion plate.

JDF

JW Malibu: That's your REAL name, right? Ken is gonna kick your ass for giving me feel so small.

In the meantime allow me to whip you with my plastic tits. You wouldn't hurt your little woman, would you?

I may only be twelve inches tall without shoes but I know a heel when I see one.

BTW, ProTools is not a web application and has nothing to do with uploading your MP3's. But a musician with 30 years experience would know that, right? You better not be toying with me!

Finally, all you big people are full of shit. Literally. You're no good if you can't shit and no better when you do. Hell, most of you prefer your toilet paper with your newspaper and I won't even comment on those parallels. I'll leave that to Leslie Stall.

One more thought. If Jazz is so good how come it doesn't sell? You can put me in a Spice Girl's outfit and say I'm limited edition and bye-bye Barbie. Do geniuses keep a little enclave of "special genius" music all to themselves? Stuff that is so heady only geniuses can appreciate? I hope none of you are doing any day trading...

Welcome to the Plasti-Scene,

MB

!

Hi guys! Listen to what I found, an old interview with mr Becker when he was promoting 11 TOW;

Becker is eating a great Hawaiian breakfast, calling this Swedish journalist who is sitting in his kitchen and in Sweden it's a grey afternoon and it's raining outside;

- I'm a nice person, polite and funny. But I became a devil when I write songs.

-We had horrible tourexperiences when we toured back in the 70s, we had to tour with Uriah Heep! Black Oak Arkansas!!

Interviewer; -What did your wife say about Cringemaker?

- She laughed. I'm in on my third marriage so I got a lot of background material.

Interviewer; The lyrics to Surf And Or Die must have taked a long time, half a year, to write?

- No, it took me an afternoon.

Expressen, Saturday the 8 Oct 1994. Journalist; Mĺns Ivarsson

Roy Scam - Master of Omission! That's sounds cool.

Stranger&Stranger (not to confuse with "the stranger") - Palle Danielsson, Lars Gulin, Bobo Stenson, Alice Babs (Ellington) Rune Carlsson (a friend of mine, played with a bunch of Yankees, Wayne Shorter among others) Monica Zetterlund etc etc...

T Collins - yeah, Doctors and Professors, that make sense, but you forgot million dollars actors. And have you never heard of Falashas? Have you never heard of Sammy Davies JR? There are such thing as black jews, but I don't know if the Seinfelt Jewish Manhattan Society accept them.

And for the record; I don't have a Homepage.

And yes, I've been trying for a long time to gather the musicians here, or those who make music to make a "Sign In Stranger" CD. No one is interested. And one New York Tough regular, YGK, got shitscared and disappeared.

Well, I have some work to do, got to go.

Clas

Hi,i saw my aunt peg sing with the steely damned in del mar last week. im teaching her about rap and she is teaching me about steely dan.

Nope

Josie: Speaking of Miles Davis, today is the 40th anniversary of the album "Kind of Blue", probably the most popular jazz album ever and an influence on Mr. Fagen and countless others. And , surprisingly, half of the sales of that album have been in the last four years. [I heard that on the radio today; I don't carry this kind of info in my pin-sized brain.] Some NPR stations are playing KOB , vinyl version, at 10 tonight.

I just got back from out of town and it's nice to see that the folks here are still doing it to each other, instead of to themselves.

On the subject of 'full of shit',I must defer to the opinion of the resident of NYC, the world's leading producer and exporter thereof.

Ruby: "Blue".

Clas: No, not recently. I'm studying to become a master of omission.

RS

is it getting like other newsgroups in here, or am i just self-absorbed? sure,why not both. wait-

listen: what has the voice in Rose Darling found?
to wear the weary hours down?

a vibrator. get it?

haven't run across any one else who gets that inuendo.
i mean from the song lyrics. as yet.

ease up and enjoy the intercourse. spelling errors? typos? grammar? G.A.L.? pots calling kettles hot? [pc version]
anal fixations? banal fixations? driving others inane?

i'm still self-absorbed, but howz about a nice game of chess?
instead of this mess. no one winz the game youz play. see?
a vibrator!
batteries. C? see?

before you wear yourselves down-
what was the name of that band again?

F#major9

wow, schoolmarm! the last time i checked, the word "and" was a conjunction, not a preposition. you are quite the deep thinker.

how 'bout this?
fuck you and the whore who squeezed you out.

AUNTIE You meant stupor tsoaker, right????????????

Teacher's Pet so nice.

clas, class, CLAAASSSSS.

keep up the good work.

You. out to the recessive gene pool.

it's Auntie Petrecia's turn with the tsuper tsoaker.

This whole biard is full of shit and the funniest is Oleander's web page !
What a load of bloated pontificating meaningless bullshit that is !

If Donald and Walt ever want a good laugh they might check out that site

Yes, Clas is a self aborbed asshole, but so are 95% of the rest of the posters to this board.

Forget Y2K , if we don't get a new disc soon Al Gore will request that this web site be shut down in the public interest.

Clas, what has anyone from Sweden contributed to music or technology in the last 30 years ?

Stranger&Stranger- and more caustic too

Name: that's common tatEr
siwel60@hotmail.com (if your(*spelling error*) feeling squirrelly (*spelling error*))

Date: Tuesday, August 17, 1999 at 14:05:43
Comments:
no, dipshit (*incomplete sentence, no capitalization*, profanity*). my name is not clas (no capitalization 2x*). and furthermore, i'm not a "mister" (*poor grammar, beginning sentence with prep., no capitalization*). but nice of you to make that assumption (*poor grammar, beginning sentence with prep., no capitalization*). and as i recall, you needledick poser (*poor grammar, beginning sentence with prep., no capitalization, profanity*)- clas himself is the one who suggested the musicians on the guestbook compile a cd of their music. no one seemed interested in doing so (since you're the fucking archive master, go and check it out).
as far as my command of the english language (*poor grammar, beginning sentence with prep., no capitalization*)- your criticism of me is as laughable as your tiny impotent pecker (*profanity*). and just before i slip back into the woodwork: did i say i was a musician (*poor grammar, beginning sentence with prep., no capitalization*)? maybe it's YOU who should be looking into a remedial reading class (*poor grammar, beginning sentence with prep., no capitalization, profanity*)?

Sorry, Honey - you've just flunked fourth grade English!

Dear Common:

I was going to write a nasty follow-up to your lame post, but common sense got the best of me. I realized that there's no talking sense to someone as completely clueless as you. Why should I lower myself to your level - it's obvious to all that you're the one who is full of shit! Like I said before, your opinions are meaningless to me ~ and the bone I'm picking is with Clas, not you...

GAL: Get a life...

Damn, a lot of bickering in here!! But Clas, in my opinion I have to say you're wrong on this one. Now I admit I am no great musician but I know great music when I heard it ( i.e. Steely Dan etc. ) Besides, how can you call yourself a Steely Dan Fan and not like at least some jazz?
But music like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what you like is what you like. To me jazz is awesome. Miles is my hero, original or not, he put out some AWESOME stuff!!

Katy: Hi sis!!

David: Miss ya!!

Adios
JDF

no, dipshit. my name is not clas. and furthermore, i'm not a "mister". but nice of you to make that assumption. and as i recall, you needledick poser- clas himself is the one who suggested the musicians on the guestbook compile a cd of their music. no one seemed interested in doing so (since you're the fucking archive master, go and check it out).

as far as my command of the english language- your criticism of me is as laughable as your tiny impotent pecker. and just before i slip back into the woodwork: did i say i was a musician? maybe it's YOU who should be looking into a remedial reading class?

clas clas@schmurk Mon Dec 9 09:49:56 PST 1996

And one more thing, he can´t spell.

Listen to "At Centurys End", the intro, the guitar talkin to the synthvibes, man that´s a killer. No swedes can do such music.Not
even Benny Andersson. Or Gunnar from Viby. ZEKE; why can´t swedes do music like US-people do music? Is it the Crystal
thing? Or the coffee with chicory, or Storyville, the Delta? Is it the sun in Calif? The streetfighters in Bronx? The long bridge
over Lake Ponchartrain? Is it the smile on your face? The poor people sleeping in Central park? Why can´t swedes do good
music? Uuuh... I go ask mama.

Clas

Excellent idea, Dr.! In fact, it would be fun to put together a GB compilation CD...I'd be happy to assist by assembling the contributions, putting together an interim site with the MP3s posted, and burning the final product onto CD for distribution within the group. I'm sure that there's a lot of incredible musicianship within our ranks ~ after all, we're inspired by the best!

JW: That's a great idea! I'm serious. Let's have you, Hutch, David(FLAROOM), Clas, etc. display a sample of your wares MP3 deli style or whatever. Love to hear it all. Heck, we've got 'til April or longer anyway.

***"JW: screw you, fucker. i bet you'd be hard pressed to compose anything NEARLY as interesting as clas' music. and since i've actually heard his disc, i feel comfortable making that judgement."***

Ohhhh, "common tator" - you've really hurt my feelings with your post I'm such a "fucker"...now that I've finished crying, I'll reply:

1.) I just love it when people don't have the BALLS to post with their "REAL" name and addy. Could your real name be possibly, "Clas"????? Funny how people like "common tator" suddenly come out of the woodwork...where have you been the past three months? Certainly not on this board - just check the archives!

2.) If Clas-hole's music is anything like your command of the English language, I'll pass on it right now. Let me clue you in on something: remedial English courses ARE available at your local night school...

3.) Do you really think YOUR opinion of Clas' music carries any weight? Wow, so you've "heard his disc"...that must make YOU an authority on music, just like Clas! Maybe you should consider a career as a music critic, wait - better take that remedial English course first...

4.) I didn't "judge" Clas' music, how could I possibly do that? I have yet to hear any of it...just like you've never heard any of my music, and yet you are able to judge it. I was simply saying, "Put up or shut up", and since he's such a Pro Tools God, he should have NO problem burning an MP3 and putting it somewhere on the web. That way, "common tator" we can decide for ourselves just how "interesting" his music is...And as far as MY composing skills go, I certainly don't think I'd be "hard pressed" to come up with anything...I've had far more impressive folks (Joni M. for one) give me "high-fives" on my composing, so frankly, your (baseless) opinion of my music doesn't mean jack shit...BTW, Mr. "common tator", let's hear some of YOUR music as well - I need a good laugh!

JW: screw you, fucker. i bet you'd be hard pressed to compose anything NEARLY as interesting as clas' music. and since i've actually heard his disc, i feel comfortable making that judgement.

John Meleoncamp- Is that the best you can come up with? That was almost as good as the little ditty about Jack and Dianne you once wrote. Stay in your "small town", you can be a big fish THIER. Sue me if I spell to wrong.

Dear Clas:

Since you are SUCH an astute musician with a such a vast understanding as to all that is good and bad in the world of music (on top of being an authority on popular culture in the United States), and since you're SUCH a Pro Tools man, why don't you bless us with some of your own musical stylings? Take some of those Pro Tools files, burn some MP3s and put them up on the web. Then we can ALL see what a talented "musician/composer" you are - let us all hear how B&F have influenced your composition technique. Let us hear some of those changes that Wayne Shorter and Larry Carlton couldn't possibly interpret without your personal guidance. After all, they're just "jazzmusic"-icians...

I seem to remember stumbling upon a pathetic little website of yours late one night when taking a break from composing, but then again, maybe it was some other loser wannabe....Anyway, put your money where your asshole, I mean where your mouth is. Burn some MP3s, put them up on your lame-ass site, post the url here, and let the REAL musicians and composers on this board have a good belly-laugh!

P.S.: Maybe you can get a job backing ABBA, but watch out....those progressions in "Dancing Queen" are quite tricky!!!!

Buh-bye...

I'm not pretending Clas, your ignorance and bigotry is starting to show. Now you're feigning heart problems in order to cause a diversion from the racist bullshit you started. Stay in your lilywhite country boy and spew your venom from the safe distance of your lilywhite country. You're a lot safer there. Your friend was not forced to move, he did that by his own choice, he's just as bigoted as you are. The U.S is not New Orleans my friend, open your eyes and take a good look around next time, and establish permanent residency so we can believe you when you say you lived here. You only visited as a tourist.

Don't do me any favors by changing your family background to fit the situation. Didn't you once say your family was Jewish too? Now they're black? HAHA!!!

Get a clue Clas or buy hip boots, you're slowly sinking in shit.

Dr. K is right, your bigotry is incurable.

Clas, Your doctor can prescribe a placebo to cure your fake cancer and fake heart attacks. Your bigotry, however, appears to be incurable.

Outchhh... my heart, got to go.

T Collins - what are you talking about? Do you know the colour of the skin of my family-members? "Whitest country on earth" - a statement like that just confirms that you are a true, white clueless, ignorant yankee. And read my post closer, I said "in the neigborhood I lived in". If the garbage jobb is so wellpaid, why is it just black people who works as "sanitation workers"?

And why was my rednecked friend "forced" to move from one neigborhood to another when "niggers" moved in next door? He said it was because the price of his house soon would sink deep in the swamp. Okay, that was probably one of the reasons.

And if I can pay my rent, eat, give my dog food, am I not allowed to wonder about your racist minds? What's YOUR point, fuckhead?

And you got the nerve to, so just in time, pop up on this GBook, pretend to be a pissed off black man or woman.

Shame on you whatever your real handle is.

Uncle Sam: At least Clas has an excuse for errors in English language usage. What's yours? *To lazy or *to stupid to get the point? Or do you have an utter lack of respect for this page and the Dan in general? You obviously have no respect for yourself, so *their.

This is the Dan board, remember? Do us all a favor and stick to the Aerosmith page. I didn't move to a small town and have a heart attack to be quoted by mental midgets like you.

Suck this Chili-Dog,

Jack

*See Uncle Sam's previous post for actual dim-wittedness.

Clas- You're are getting killed here! If it's to hot, get out of the kitchen!

In the past when you've got creamed like this, you usually start to fake some type of illness, right Clas? This would be a good time to get another tumor, better yet, you can always fake another heart attack. And don't worry Clas, you know at least Ruby will be their wishing you a healthy recovery when you come to.

midnite--went out Fri. night, but what with the lightning and the patchy, scudding clouds, only saw one apiece. Although the storm was beautiful in its own right.

marigolds--Utah shmutah, just let me know & I'll be there. One of my favorite travel memories is taking a stroll across the Great Salt Flats. Not very far. And listening to Zappa with a guy in Salt Lake City.

Signor Berlitz--as Mu noted, it's pretty unlikely they either coached all those guys in Norwegian or dubbed their voices--now that would be funny, to hear Mr. F & Mr. B dubbed badly.

John Meyer--Nobody rose to it, eh? Must be Chevy Chase.

f#--whoa. Whole nother spin on the blind guys. Very nize.

fezo--hey, bro. Gotta love your taste.

Rix, Hutch, Klute--I dig your riffs.

boge, Huge--Jealous to the max. Joe Jackson has a club in NY? How often does he hold forth? Tickles me that he's a Mr. Becker fan. Huge--don't share your disinterest in him (the latter) at all.

Joe, Jon--Check out "Stanley Cowell Trio Live" (SteepleChase, '95). I've liked this guy a long time. Nice versions of "Anthropology" and "In Walked Bud" among other things.

I love this.....

***" Bullshit. Do you think he sat (Larry Carlton) down and played the solo on Kid Charlemange just like that? Because he already had played solos on boring jazzstandards in and out?

Do you think Wayne Shorter just "came up" with the saxsolo on Aja, over those chords? Because he was a JAZZmusician?

JAZZmusicians are known for being totaly lost when you put in some strange chordprogressions instead of those ordinary harmonies they are too used to.

And that Brittish Knopfler sat on the hotel room trying to figure out the chords on Chase The Dragon, terrified and homesick and without a clue. And at the time he was "the best guitarplayer" ever. "***

Dude...have you thought of laying off the booze? It's effecting your brain...

Gee Clas, can you talk out of your ass anymore?

You come up with some ridiculous posts that make absolutely no sense when you're trying to piss someone off. What's the matter, you like to dish it out but you can't eat it, true?
Tell me, how long have you lived in the U.S. that you can form a perfect and just opinion of it? I don't think visiting a few cities here and there can tell you what the entire country is like. You say you've recently been to New Orleans and only saw one black man? I have to laugh! Are you sure you went there? Or did this horseshit come from your silly ass "I'm in a pissy mood" head? What was this man doing standing in the back of a garbage truck? Was he a sanitation worker? If so, he's making pretty damn good money. Yeah, it's a a dirty job, and he's more than likely getting health benefits and able to feed his family. In my area of New Orleans, there are also white people that pick up trash. They all work hard and get their hands dirty. It amazes me how when you talk about the U.S, you keep referring back to the plight of a black man who collects trash for a living, because you think it pisses some off here. Boy, he must have given you a line of shit that your fool self swallowed hook, line and sinker! I suppose you know all about that from sitting in your office all day keeping your hands clean, don't you white man? Or maybe you're just a little envious?
And you state that the only black people "you yankees" care about are sportsmen and musicians, would you like to meet my doctor? How about my college professor?
You are Swedish my friend, you live in the whitest country in the world, but you have the balls to use the phrase "white middle class". You have a job that obviously pays the rent for your home and office, you have money to spend for all this equipment you brag about, you have an internet connection and you do eat don't you? So what's your point?

If you're going to joke around, first make it seem like a joke and not idiocy, second, be prepared to take back what you give out and third, don't talk about us black folks like you know how we feel. You are one funny cracker boy!

No Problem.

The night Becker was there, JJ didn't do "Any Major Dude."

He did do "King of The World" late in the set.

And his plug for 11TOW was by way of introducing his cover of "Junkie Girl".

Boge Police- please don't arrest me. To tell you the truth, I was pretty lit that night and may have some facts wrong. I do remember that Walter was sitting a couple of tables from the stage with at least one or two other people. And honestly I wasn't paying much attention to Mr Becker (now, if it was Fagen that would be a different story). You sound like you were there, please set me/us straight.

Thanks
Hf

fezo: I'll look up you fine recommendation.

Clas: Funny, when I lived in Louisiana I was hangin' around African-Americans, French, Creoles, Cajuns, Germans, Venezuelans, Colombians, Nicaraguans, Vietnamese, Chinese, natives of Africa, and an occasional cracker. Where the hell were you? The diversity of the culture was one of the saving graces. It's no accident that the food and music are better down there.

Poverty and prejudice are still a problem no doubt whether it's in the inner cities or elsewhere. The poorest erople in the US I've seen are the "white trash" who lived in some ruraL areas of North Florida - even worse off than some of the areas in Louisiana...sad.

As for my family. My ancestors of Irish, Italian, and Sicilian decent came to this country 110 years ago to a less than hospitable welcome as they had to start at the bottom rung...but still better of than where former homes. But they fought and scratched their way. The church I attend now was built by Sicilians 100 years ago after the church they tried to attend full of Czechs and Mexicans booted them them out. My father was the first in his family to earn a college degree - and was instrumental as a citizen in the integration of a number of social and sports groups after we moved to the South during the 60s. I went to public school with about 40% African-Americans and got along better with many of them than the white kids...you connote I'm white bread again - I'll have "cousin Guido" come and break your legs, capice?

Virtually all the major forms of American music such as blues, ragtime, jazz, rhythm & blues, rock were created by African Americans. I like the notes. So what's you point?

Of course I won't mention again the homogenous nature of your country where "purifying" of the youngest and most infirm continued until recently.

Huge Fan: Nice post. Fact or fiction, who cares. Been diving in and out of here a long time, not once has anyone let on B or F was here, or seen them anywhere else. I would probably shit a Rhino egg knowing he was sitting anywhere in the same building, but that's me.

Hey boge, tell me where you were born, who you parents are and how I can reach them, and I'll call them up with congratulations for raising such a pretentious asshole

Hmmm... that HUGE Fan guy sure does have some good 'insider' information from time to time. But there is some small possibility that he/she passes off second-hand information as personal experience. That Joe Jackson show, for example. I don't think you could have actually been there and gotten some of those details wrong (as you did).

But I'm willing to assume the best for now. If you can tell us where in the room Becker was sitting & who/how many people he was with at the table (right next to you), I'll figure you just had a lapse. Then I'll post the correct details.

wow, i go away for two weeks and the GB rampages through different thematic schemes. Good to know nothing has changed.

very interesting discussion of jazz and its relative merits and roots. For an on topic read, I would heartily recommend John Edward Hasse's "Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington." Besides detailing the life of this century's greatest composer, the book also provides a running commentary on the evolution of music in the 20th century.

at the other end of the musical scale, I also recommend the Chili Peppers latest "Californication'. They got their old guitarist back and his solo's alone are worth the price of purchase.

If this McNade is the fraud artist he appears to be, I would suggest a massive bombardment of complaint to Ebay. Don't believe their claims that the site is totally self-policed. They depend on their reputation as an honest forum to keep their fees coming. Enough moaning and groaning and McNade will get booted.

HUGE: WOW That's great! What a night! Now that is some info we can all appreciate. Did you get his autograph - you can sell it on ebay for big bucks ya know. Or at least tell him that we've all been good boys and girls waiting patiently for the next album. Next time you go out like that let me know; I'm sure I can make time in my busy schedule to be there - first round is on me.

Don't kill the messenger... I only posted that for the timeliness of the topic not the quality of the content. What do you want from some leftist pinko paper.

I'm still trying to track down info on that Norwegian broadcast - I've found a link to their main TV page, but no luck in programming -
http://www.nrk.no/info/engelsk/facts.htm
or
http://www.sol.no/film_og_musikk/

and this great Steely Dan fan site that does prove they have been secretly living there all along:
http://members.tripod.com/~mortenbrten/index-3.html

Big Fan- I forgot to mention that I was at the Joe Jackson show a couple of weeks ago at Joe's pub in NYC. Guess who was sitting at the next table? That's right, it was Mr. Walter Becker himself. Jackson did cover Major Dude which was mentioned in that bad review you put up. Joe also covered King of The World. Jackson must have known Walter was in the crowd because after singing Major Dude he was saying how much he loves Steely Dan and it was ashame that nobody knows about 11 TOW because it's better then both of Fagen's solo recordings.

Hf

Clas; For the record-I do NOT think that you are a moron. I have a question for you; Why do you think Becker & Fagan turned to the jazz-world for help in recording their albums and never went back?

Clas - Dennis Chambers was the drummer on the 1994 Steely Dan reunion tour. On the Alive in America cd he plays on all the songs except Green Earrings, Book of Liars and Third World Man. He does a great little solo on Josie.
And, once again Clas, my comments were not meant to be a personal attack on you. I'm glad you're on this board. You've certainly been on it a lot longer than I have. We just disagree on this particular thing. Peace, Bro' !!
I'm sure there are a lot of musicians on here and a lot of people who are not musicians and have very good taste in music. Why would you be on a SD board if you didn't. I don't think I'm better than anyone else just because I play guitar. Hell, when I come off stage after a set I don't ask the musicians I know in the crowd how it sounded. I'm more interested in what the non-musicians think. If they like what they heard then I feel like I've done a good job.

I'll be real glad when the new one comes out. Then we'll all have something really important to talk about.

Klute- "Some need three shots of Whiskey". Come on Klute, leave Peter Erskin out of this.

Ellington?

Is THAT jazz? Öhhhmmm??

Klute, you're okay. I've got an A.O.K. on you.

And 3D, I laughed my ass off. One of the funniest posts I've ever read.

POMPE! We're out of here!

And dr Mu,

my son?

I'm gonna beat his ass off if he shows up in my apartment with his "Real Book" and Orchestraguitar and starts playing those damn jazzchops again!

That was an okay thing to do in New Orleans 1912, but now we are making music in ProTools. Tight music!

That's it.

And Cave - where's your cave? Behind your eyes and between your ears?

Dr Mu - jazz is the great AFRICAN artform that now mr Becker and mr Fagen makes a lot of money of.

When Joni Mitchell used "The Warrior Drums Of Burundi" as background for hear song "Jungle Line", the 5 Billion Dollars Lawyers wasn't there screaming.

When some rapband used the Hohner groove of Black Cow, damn, Billion Dollars Manhattan Lawyers made a fortune.

I have recently been down to New Orleans and the only black man I saw in the hood I lived in was the skinny man who was standing on the back of the garbagetruck that came every morning.

The only black people you yankees care about are those who makes it as sportsmen or musicians.

And it amazes me to see that you white middleclass spoiled guys are running to protect this black afro-american music when I joke around about "jazzmusic". Interesting. Suddenly this black artform is YOUR property, something that YOU are proud of.

And yes, those who are complaining about my English, how's your French?

C

Clas, Clas, Clas,: Just ask you son. Jazz IS the great American art from created in that steamy cauldron known as New Orleans from the blues and ragtime. It was a strong influence on early 20th Centruy giants such as Gershwin. Perhaps the greatest American composer Duke Ellington was the consumate jazz musician. Without jazz there is no rock, no rhythm & blues. Crap many of the rock artist of the 60s and 50s were trained in jazz. Ask the Allman Brotheres about Kind of Blue! Listen to enough Miles, Coltrane, Evans, Monk, Brubeck and you'll hear much of Steely Dan which is cool jazz disguised as rock. I get your point that Becker and Fagen were real taskmasters, but you know and I know Miles' 50s quintet would have kicked their ass.

What it takes B&F 20 years to do Miles could do instantly. There's a story that Herbie Hancock loves to tell... I may have relayed it here before - but it's worth mentioning again. Hancock, of course, played with the Miles Davis quintet during the 60s. Well, at one concert Herbie said he hit this awful, horrible, just damn wrong chord. He said it was so bad, he stopped for a moment and peered up in terror to see what miles was going to do. But Miles didn't stop or even give him a look - he immediately took that bad chord and improvised using that bad chord as a base. Hancock said he still just sat there for another moment, dumbstruck by what he had just heard - shaking his head during the interview.

okay so there's the story of the three blind men who each have a part of a elefent. a elphelant. one has the tail ["a elphelant is like a big snake"], yadda yadda yadda you've heard it. call the elphelent "JAZZ". okey doke? but listen- the way i tell it is that there is a FOURTH blind man [sorry. didn't mean to shout].
The guy telling the story! Just 'cause he can see...

experiential realms o' subjectivity- little bricks in the walls 'tween yooze guyz. wait.

Tom B. from the 'hood went to NY HSof Music and Art (Fame... he's gonna live forever) couldn't improvise but could memorize and triple tongue Charlie Parker lines with the metronome set on STUN
Ronnie L. had perfect pitch and could literally sit down at keys and recreate anything he heard without charts or nuttin like some kinda phonographic memory- still classically trained and could site read from 100 yards in the dark. scary scary dot density.
Gary G/B (changed his name like his brother HarveyB) could weave through them changes and honk the surprise flatted fifth in an endless melody of improv like Wagner on pharmaceutical grade mescaline while he had no idea whatsoever what chords were being played. he barely understood key signature- he thought "patterns" and was just "singing" through his sax. ya.

now. let's assign each guy an axis- x,y,z respectively, and plot a hyberbolic function...

i heard that.

"shut up and play yer guitar" FZ
F#maj9

BTW: who called Clas a moron? [imagine Scarface crossing the street with Ratso Rizzo] "what kinda fokkin... fok yooo man"
[sorry. wanted to run with that but i'm at work] Like, how many languages do YOU speak? Oxymoron. Get it?

Clas - You were making more sense when writing about Joni Mitchell. "Court & Spark" is good, but "Hejira" is just a little bit better. There's something mesmerising about "Song for Sharon". Your comments about Jazz are just plain off-key. Yes, there can be some drum solos that go on too long (beyond 1 minute), and the occasional bass solo that is too soft and low to hear, but lets not let this ruin the only type of music that remains 'alive' today. Even modern 'classical' is closer to modern jazz than anything else. Blues started jazz. Rock developed from jazz and is truly a bitch of a child. Put it down. Jazz (seems) to have developed faster than any other type of music in the last 1000 years, and is still performing a marvellous chameleon performance. I know this becomes really subjective, but there really are more truly gifted musicians in Jazz than any type of music that has emerged since 1956. (Classical is up there too).

Altamira - I recommend to you the "Bill Evans Trio at the Village Vanguard" recorded live in June 1961. Here is artistry.

Damn yankees, you're so sensitive. Jazz is mostly shit. Accept that and be happier.

Maybe I'm joking or maybe I'm not.

Hutch or Stuck or whoever, who is this Danny Chamber?

RubyBaby - I'll pass you the Lingon Berry Lemonade.

Y'all make it sound so simple: Just stick a bar chart in front of somebody that knows how to read one and EUREKA, the session's over. To quote Steven Forbert, "It Isn't Going To Be That Way".

I've worked with some of the best musicians in the territory. Some can play to a click. Some need a drummer. Some need three shots of whiskey and five pulls off a reefer before they can understand what's going on. Most of all, they need to dig what you're doing. Plain and simple.

Music is such a subjective art that you may only know four or five chords on a guitar but if you have a relatively sophisticated timing pattern held aloft by a melody you can keep even the best jazz improvisationists interested until the rooster crows. Just ask Sting.

I'm not flaming anyone here. Just stating what I know to be fact.

If you're on this board to impress others with your subjective superiority then so be it. The Dan attracts that and here I am too.

Looking Sweetly Dour,

Klute

Well ...... I don't really think resorting to name-calling is the right way to go. I've never met the gentleman so I don't want to make any judgement calls. I just disagree with his view point on the subject.

Clas: One thing I've always liked about you is that you can spot hypocrisy and pretense faster than a drumbeat. I don't know much about jazz musicians, or what is easy/hard to play, but I know about you.

You'll always be my Moron, though. I have a tape to prove it, remember?

rb

hey guys- Clas has looked foolish here for many years. Every guestbook must have one moron. Clas is this guestbooks moron.

RicHex & Hutch are right on the money...Clas, if I were you, I'd stop while I'm ahead...you're looking more foolish by the second! The Phil Woods anecdote is a perfect example of just how wrong you are...

What's all this bickering about improvisation? As Wynton told the kid who asked how to get a break in the music business: "Break to a practice room."

Hutch; I posted my comment and there was your comment that wasn't there just a few minutes ago. I guess we agree pretty solidly on this one, eh?

I've been playing for around 30 years, myself. It cracks me up when people can't admit that they don't know something. The wealth of TALENT AND KNOWLEDGE it takes to be a really fine jazz musician is so far beyond the comprehension of some people that they can't even begin to appreciate it when they hear it. BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT TAKES!

Clas; Like I said; you should stick to LISTENING--you know nothing about PLAYING music. The more you write, the more clear that becomes.

Altamira; I know what you mean about the "raw" edge on certain tunes. I haven't heard the version of "our" song that you refer to but I do like a raw edge on recordings, sometimes. Too much polish can hide the simple beauty of a truly well crafted song and creating well-crafted songs is something our boys are certainly gifted at.

Honestly, I was determined to just sit back and watch this discussion, but having played music in bands for 30 years I feel I have to stick up for my fellow musicians.

ANY jazz musician who has a working knowledge of chord theory (and I think you'd be hard pressed to find one who doesn't) can look at a chart, which Becker & Fagen provided for their studio players, and do a pretty respectable solo. Now, whether or not it's the one Don and Walt decide to keep is another story, but that's just the nature of the beasts. The point is... if you're looking at a chord chart and you understand the notes (ALL of them that exist in a given chord then you know what notes to go to as you progress from chord change to chord change in your solo. You are playing off the top of your head.. that is, IMPROVISING.. but you're not hitting any sour, off-key notes because as you watch the chart you know the boundaries within which to work.

Page 91 of Brian Sweet's book: " 'Doctor Wu' contains an absolutely devine alto saxophone solo played by Phil Woods. Woods was booked in for what Steely Dan anticipated would be a long and demanding session, but he floored Becker, Fagen and Katz by nailing it in the first take. It was rumoured that Fagen was so dumbstruck by the performance that he asked Woods to play it a couple more times just so he could hear it again."

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of seeing Dennis Chambers at a drum clinic. He calmly sat down at the drum set with no other musicians on stage and no pre-recorded tapes playing and began a drum solo... 55 minutes later he stood up ! It was one of the most amazing musical performances I've EVER seen in my life. And, believe me, I sure wasn't bored for a single one of those 55 minutes.

That's my 2 cents worth.

Thanks Mu, but that doesn't help me much. The Norweigan broadcasting (kringkastning) can't be seen from Stockholm. And for your knowledge, in Scandinavia we don't overdub foreign language-programs. Why do you think my English is so great? I had the Dick van Dyke and Lucy Show with the breastmilk.

Thanks for the info anyway. Maybe, which I doubt, they're showing it on the European MTV.

Oleander - okay, but let me dream about it?

RixHex56 - yes. No.

I don't know why I do this but okay;

MISTER RixHex56 (is that the name of your Casio-synt or your Casio-watch?), for example:

When Miles Davies "wrote" Donna Lee, he composed the melody over an already existing tune. I think the song was titled "Indiana, Indiana, bla bla bla" something. Those chords wasn't hard to compose a new "melody" over. That was a very common thing to do, compose a new melody over an old one, you'd get more time over to shoot the smack.

(It's hard to play Donna Lee FAST but that's another story)

BUT put some JazzGiant in front of the chords of Aja and tell him to play a tasty, well-composed solo on the interlude. He'll get shitscared and he will leave the studioroom, piss in his pants because his reputation is on stake, he will write everything down to see which tunes he can use. He is standing in front of something that is new for him. He can't do his old routin on this one!

Finally he's making it and it comes out great.

25 years later it's "easy" for a coverband* to do the same thing over again. Because the picture is painted and all you have to do is look at it and try to paint it one more time. But it might be hard, I have heard examples of that.

And IMPROVISE:

That is, if we're talking about jazz, an awfull "artform". Everybody who's been sitting on a smokey jazzclub, trying to keep a straight face when the bad drummer is in on his 15th minutes of banging know what I mean. And when you applause after he's finnished, you don't do it because you think it was good, you do it because you're greatful because it's over.

Meaningless 27-minutes upright-bass-solos that says nothing. Oh, maybe they are saying one thing; the soloplayer is untalent. But you don't say that, cause people will look at you and say; you just don't understand. Like the Kaisers New Clothes. (do you have that saga over there?)

Music/paintings/art shall be in frames when you're presenting it for an audience.

It's funny and relaxing and medative to sit with your musician-fiends and improvise over an E-major blues for hours, but it's hell for the girlfiends.

*oooops, someone is sitting on my shoulder and telling me it's supposed to be called "TributeBand".

C

Just got a shih-tsu which we decided to name Aja. Already have a cat named Josie. Also, father-in-law has a dog which my stepson named Donald. I must now run to Aja.

Read about The Doobie Brothers playing at the Kentucky State Fair - pretty funny-
http://www.kentuckyconnect.com:80/heraldleader/news/081599/previewdocs/fairmusic15.htm

Huge that sounds great and I like many here can't wait to see it also. It doesn't really matter but I am still curious about the TV feeds in Norway. Except for the largest cities I would expect Norway to be very rural. I do a lot of fishing in the Rangley area of Maine along the NH boarder and the first time I went there 15 years ago I thought the state flag of Maine was a K band
satellite dish - every house on the eastern side of the road had one in their front yard, the west their backyard. Today the K bands look rusty but there is usually a brand new DSS right next to it. I would consider this area of Maine to be very rural and probably similar in that respect to Norway, so I'm still wondering if there was a satellite broadcast.

My wife and son got up at 3:30 AM on Friday to see the meteors thanks to the discusion here - saw 6 in about an hour - they were pretty pysched. Friday night and Sat morning were rain outs on the east coast for viewing.

Our DSS dish took a lightening strike on Sat night - smoke came out of the surge protector - it's toast, stick a fork in it it's done, whatever, but the dish and box, TV and VCR still work. Our one phone line that was connected to it was fried, won't be fixed till Tuesday. Luckily we have a second one for the computer.

I wish there was something more to report on SD... to be continued.

Finally, the long awaited Benny Markowitz clue!

Ed Cote- Happy birthday! Now please answer the question about that Benny guy. I don't have a clue.

In 1974, a little-known keyboard artist by the name of Benny Markowitz began his career with our Boys from the Bard. Uncredited on the Katy Lied album, he went on to achieve fame and fortune under a different name. Does anyone know who he is?

Edd - Happy (now belated) birthday! I hope it was a real blast!

RixHex 56 - I'm quite fond of that song too, and as much as I admire the fully fleshed-out final version, I also like the demo version, with Fagen playing the piano and singing lead, and Becker singing backup - it has a warm, intimate sound that the more polished version lacks.

ole....my wife and I didn't go to the Parkway Thursday night for the meteor shower but opted for a friend's farm instead. Got there at 10:48pm and tuned in some nice jazz on the local NPR station and put the top down on the Miata and watched for a bit. Then we got out of the car and laid out a couple of chaise lounges beside it as the jazz turned to classical at midnight. We covered up in blankets and watched the sky for five hours. Just talking a little and enjoying the music and meteors....it was really nice! We finally headed back to civilization at 4:10am having counted 110 meteors in the five hours plus. Great Show!!!

MC

Clas;

Are you shitting me or what?! "Knopfler was the best guitar player ever" ??????

You are kidding, right? This is a joke, right? Please say yes!

You apparently know nothing at all about PLAYING music. You should stick with LISTENING. Your comments about jazz players says it all. Can you say--"im-pro-vise"?

Re: Ruby Baby

Humina-humina-humina...

Since I'm a day late, I'll make this a singing, stripping telegram for you, Edd.

Hush darlin - I climb your stairs
move slowly - let down my hair
you're looking just where you should
cause its - Edd's birthday - it feels so good!

rb

Big Fan- I just watched the Aja special for the third time. Yes, it's in english and has subtitles which can be a little bit of a drag, but it's better then waiting 10 more months to see it in the U.S. I like when Donald starts singing "uptown baby' while there jamming on Black Cow.

Hf

YOU'VE GOT TO VISIT THIS SITE! IT'S GREAT!! YOU'LL REALLY BE SURPRISED AT WHAT YOU SEE!!!http://www.liespeopletell.com/

Hey---McDode made his feedback file private??! Can you DO that? The numerical summary is still there but the individual comments are not. Now it says you have to contact him directly for his feedback. What gives? Has this guy somehow convinced ebay he's being unfairly flamed? It doesn't seem right that he can privae his auctions AND his feedback too.

You all won't believe this link:

http://mysite.xtra.co.nz/~tricam/

Ole: The e campaign to VH1 sounds best. Let's get 'em.

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the Norweigan broadcast was in English with subtitles. However, there's always the outside chance that the director of the Godzilla movies might have taken this opportunity fro his swan song before he passed recently,

From the Houston Chronicle:

"Besides progress on that front, the Rockets also made headway in trying to land Anderson. Considered the Rockets' top outside free-agent target, Anderson has narrowed his list to three teams, including the Rockets, his agent, Dan Fagan, said Friday."

Been reading about this agent all summer, doing double takes when I see his name...

Also, Ian Dury is interviewed on the 'Aja' special? Holy Lord Almighty. The guy with no teeth who likes being hit with sticks? C'est fantastique. Or, as DF likes to say, "as the French like to say: C'est fantastique."

Hey Edd.. Happy B-Day!

Miss Oleander: I'm not sure a tape from Norweigan TV would do most of the guestbook ladies and gentlemen any good. With the exception of Mr. Clas, and he has a certain home field advantage, I doubt any of the others can readily translate Norweigan.

Then again sixty minutes of Mr Becker and Mr Fagen and their cohorts speaking in a foreign tongue would probably lead to even more obtuse song interpretations so why not have at it?

Edd--happy happy birthday. Um, do we need a Guestbook Birthday File so next year we remember?

Mu--So did he tape it??? Or know anyone who did? Do we need to mass e American VH1 to get it shown here?

Clas--Better take it easy. David Flustered Wallop is getting all worked up. And your heart rate---

Clas: I found a post by Siri Bakken in the Newsgroup from August 3:

"It was aired on July 31 on Norwegian TV (NRK To) as part 7 of 12. What a great program!!! It has comments from Don+Walt as well as Larry Carlton, Denny Dias, Ian Dury, Andy Gill, Gary Katz, Rick Marotta, Michael McDonald, Roger Nichols, Dean Parks, Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey and Wayne Shorter."

Hi Everyone, Happy Birthday Edd ! Josie, a new computer? room for the MP3 player now? ...And an autograph forgery Scandal Too! The Things you miss when your nose is to the grindstone!

David

hey folks,
Happy Birthday Edd!!!
Katy: I miss ya sis! You never wrote me back, tell El Hi!! I have some VERY interesting things to tell you regarding the situation I was telling you about..I'll e-mail you. I have a new e-mail account, so I'll write you, and let you know all the sorted details.

David: Hope the wicked scheduling is going good, talk to you soon!!

28 days till the 21..

JDF

RixHex56

"As for Larry Carlton 'having to learn a thing or two' in order to play with SD; This guy was already well recognized in the jazz world before he hooked up with Becker and Fagen and his contributions to their works sound very much like the style he was already known for."

Bullshit. Do you think he sat down and played the solo on Kid Charlemange just like that? Because he already had played solos on boring jazzstandards in and out?

Do you think Wayne Shorter just "came up" with the saxsolo on Aja, over those chords? Because he was a JAZZmusician?

JAZZmusicians are known for being totaly lost when you put in some strange chordprogressions instead of those ordinary harmonies they are too used to.

And that Brittish Knopfler sat on the hotel room trying to figure out the chords on Chase The Dragon, terrified and homesick and without a clue. And at the time he was "the best guitarplayer" ever.

God damn it,

I'm going home.

Pompe!!! Come here!!!

Katy DaneFan - "Well I must be shoving off..lots of stuff I have to set-up still\".
Yeah, your Three Dot Thing don't work on your new one. Do you have the driver?
Dr Mu, "the Scandinavian equivalent of VH1", you don't happen to have a name on that Scandinavian channel?

Clas;

"How ya gonna beat the heat?"--

By lettin' off a little steam??

Altamira; I had to stick up for you; You're named after one of my all-time favorite SD songs. (instincts) Gotta love 'em!;)

As for Larry Carlton "having to learn a thing or two" in order to play with SD; This guy was already well recognized in the jazz world before he hooked up with Becker and Fagen and his contributions to their works sound very much like the style he was already known for.

Well {blush}, thanks all!

Other notable events:

Fidel Castro was born on August 13.

The Berlin Wall was erected on August 13.

Edd - happy birthday!

dr Mu - no damn, I have not heard of that channel here in Sweden. Those fucking newspapers are just writing about Spice Girls, Robbie Williams and Tom Cruise. Watching "The making of Aja" would be a killer!

Caves - hey now, if you had to make a choice between seeing a band making covers of themselves, "acting" arrogant and rebellic (the real thing vanished with aging, cleaning up drugacts and paying fortunes to shrinks),

OR go overseas, stay a bonus night at Holiday Inn, Cincinnati, meet lisa, Sunny Sam, Oleander, Zeke, 12 marines and a dog named Fleck in New Orleans, what's your take on that fuckhead?

And moron - how did you know it was 5000? Did you "find" my wallet?

Go back to your seven dollar mobile home, fuck yourself or get a wife.

C, Falasha

Well, guess it's time to start a new Aztec calendar...

Peace & Pi,

SEMB

P.S. Hats and Hooters to you Edd!

Watch 'dem bears, St. Al! Have fun!

Happy Birthday, Edd!!!

I'll be on vacation for the next 8 days. Taking the wife and kid and a half to Jellystone Park. Connectivity will suffer but I won't. Be good boys and girls and Kinky. Don't do anything I wouldn't do...

St (Yogi Bear) Alphonzo

Edd: Happy birthday, please!

Lost: Thanks...I didn't feel like registering with those bastards now anyway.

Hutch- thanks for the personal welcome, I appreciated it.
Edd- Bon anniversare! (sp?)
Josie- Congrats on the 'puter. I don't know how I ever lived without one (although I'm more of a Mac geek). Happy surfing!
To anyone- any speculation of the cities that Dan will hit if'n when they end up touring? Highly unlikely that they will come to Utah, especially after reading the liner notes in 'Citizen' about Donny and Marie (The Teeth Twins and one of Utah's many public humiliations) desecrating 'Reelin' in the Years' on their variety show. I'd go anywhere to see them, but somewhere in the mountain states would be ideal.

An eclipse, a meteor shower, the last day of the Aztec Calender and Edd's birthday all in one week. Whoa !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EDD !!!

All my best, Hutch

Wish me a happy birthday, please...

Dr. Mu - You diden't read it right. The numbered item you read was that of James who posted Beware Of Fake SD album above. ebay took his warning down. The reason you diden't see McDodes item up their was because his auction was over. I don't believe anyone bid on it, thanks to the warning. I'm sure McDode will be back, and when he does hopefully everyone here will keep giving him bad feedback.

Greeting's fellow GBers'!!
I am writing to you on my brandspankin' new fully loaded PC, life can be so wonderful..
It's been a while since I was in here last, I see some familiar handles, misseed you guys. Some new ones too..welcome to you!
So any new Steely news? I'm justr going mad waiting for the new release ( if infact it ever happens )
Well I must be shoving off..lots of stuff I have to set-up still\
See ya!!
JDF

Marigolds - Welcome ! I've been on only a short time. It is a good board. I've been having a spendid time... good people on here!

congrats to KD, James, and Caveat for their sleuthmanship. The following message is indeed indicating that McDodo has folded up the tent:

"The item you requested (145275080) is invalid or no longer in our database..."

Hey Kinky, I just had an idea. McDode seems a natural addition to your DanFan Hall of Shame on your site. ..?

-ce

Hooray for you, KD! And James too. At my last visit to ebay, his gaucho offering seems to have disappeared. Maybe he's decided to lay low for a while? Although his more common MO is to counterattack. Let's see how long before he's back.

Hello one and all-

Great message board! I've never posted before but I have read it several times. Love the opinions, the free thinking and of course- talk about the greatest musicians EVER. Hope to visit often, but now I'm off to make the most of the last day of the Aztec Sun Calendar.

"Sharing the things I know and love with those of my kind..."

A friend mentioned a quip from one of those rockumentaries he overheard last night. To paraphrase some rock "star" of unknown origin: "Yeah we made a lot of money...80% was spent of drugs, women, and booze...the other 20% was totally wasted."

Clas: The Making of Aja was recently on the Scandinavian equivalent of VH1. Did you see it? BTW, that was Michael Omartian of Bad Sneakers.

Clas- 'It's not hard to play piano the way Fagen does'? Oh please Clas, spare us. What do you really know anyway? You're in some boring little country drowning yourself in vodka. Steely Dan plays next door to you in Europe in 1996 and you don't go, but then you treck 5,000 to the U.S. to go to a Danfest. You're a JERK!

Ole Ander - did I ever say, that before my day is done, I want you to sit on my knees while I'm playing and singing Pearl Of The Quarter just for you? And that you are a cool, natural, cute, wise woman?

Altamira - I think we're talking about two different things here, It's not hard to play Peg the way Fagen does. Or Chain Lightning. Or Bad Sneakers. (I don't know if Fagen is playing piano on Bad Sneakers, but anyway).

But let us discuss this when you got the video.

Good Job people! Yeah, I forgot to tell everyone you have to be registered to bid,thanks. It does only take 2 or 3 minutes.

When any seller on ebay has a legit SD autograped record to sell, they always put in the discription "very rare", "hard to find", "one of a kind," etc.,etc. What's funny about McDode, is that in the same month he had a autographed Katy Lied, Royal Scam and Gaucho albums up for sale. I guess nobody told McDode how "rare" and "hard to find" these items are. Oh yeah, he got them autograped in the 80's when Walter Becker was in HI the whole decade and Fagen was in seclusion in NYC. This guy has got to go! Can't somebody do something?! ebay is protecting this crook. To me, it's all very frustrating.

Puke.1.2.3

Regarding the Ebay fraud - I have some items I've been planning to sell on Ebay; once I register, I will look for this jerk and do what I can to damage his reputation.

H. G. Wells - I wish I'd seen that; I've always liked Bernstein. I've heard his daughter on a few radio programs; she does a good job of promoting and explaining her father's music.

RixHex56 - I found your comments on anger and guilt quite helpful.

Crimson Tide - Congratulations. I wish you and Josie all the best.

Hutch - Good points. I can certainly relate to feeling better because I got it off my chest but then feeling ashamed because I lost control. You have given me some good things to think about and remember.

Clas - I am looking forward to seeing the video, and I'm sure that Fagen pronounces "Steely Dan Orchestra" in a manner like no one else. Regarding his skills as a piano teacher, I seem to recall that the video is labeled as being for advanced players, and I remember someone in this venue remarking that his son, who plays piano, said that he found the video useful but wouldn't recommend it for a beginning student.

Hi Danmations!

If you like Al Dimeola you're going to LOVE "The Essence of Al Dimeola" on Columbia's Legacy label. Trust me on this. Great mastering, excellent selection of tunes and the CD is CHEAP! I've always thought Al would be great on a SD track so if you're listening, boys, give Al a call, ok?

Ok, so maybe he's a LITTLE cocky...

MM

Just came from the surf and can't get my core temp. up so U'm shivering and it's hard to hit the right key.
OMIO: He does those really cheap TV ads - like shonky computer packages that resurface every six months under another company name. I see him at the shopping centre sometimes - he's big alright with a very young wife who he probably slaps around.
Clas: That music has such a hypnotic feel, it's on my all time top ten list -how wierd that I mentioned it and your friend played on it.Seven degrees of separation may be too many.

James--If you really want to get this guy you need to be a registered user. It's easy. Takes about 3 minutes. Then, forget about "neutral" feedback. Give him negative feedback by plugging in the ttem number of the bogus crap he's selling. If you don't record the item number you can't give negative feedback. Negative feedback is the kiss of death on ebay.

Good Luck,

captain ebay

Being a recently-registered AOL user, I took the time that was supposed to be spent packing for a return to school to contact our favorite forgin' boy from ebay. Utilizing my Instant Messaging technology for the first time, I contacted Mcdode (boy, I hope he's not Irish) and asked about purchasing some marked-on Dan albums.

You'll have to excuse my faux innocence, I tried to get on his good side and keep him on as long as possible. I just cut and pasted the con-vo-sa-tion right onto the page here:

KDonhoops: you have autographed Steely Dan albums?
Mcdode: why are going to tell me they are fake
KDonhoops: I was just wondering if you had autographed stuff that wasn't on albums...already have the albums, just wanting some autographs....
KDonhoops: ???.......are they?
Mcdode: Yes I do but there is some idiot out there trying tell people they are fake......... But the moron doesnt realize I plauyed pro music for 15 years
Mcdode: and no they are not fake
Mcdode: and met the band and played with them
KDonhoops: I seriously wouldnt know...but do you have them on anything besides albusm>?
Mcdode: no just album covers
KDonhoops: hmm...alright...brb
Mcdode: see ya
KDonhoops: umm....new to this....can I not buy it through ebay? it says like 70bucks here, can I just offer twice that and not do it through ebay? ....I've yet to bid on anything there....I'd like to get the 'Gaucho' for me and my dad
Mcdode: you dont have to pay twice as much....
I can give it to you for the Minimum Bid delivered.

Mcdode: are you a registered eBay user
KDonhoops: no, I'm not.....when did you get it signed?
Mcdode: sometime ion the 80's
KDonhoops: I'm not trying to be a dick, just want to be safe....where were you when they signed it?
Mcdode: I dont remember honestly
KDonhoops: did they sign anything else for you (besides Gaucho)?....my dad likes 'Pretzel Logic' more than any other...or maybe Aja
Mcdode: I believe this is all I have left.
I have a friend that is a Laywer
who also has some too.
I can check to see what he has.
KDonhoops: sweet....I like Gaucho, but my dad likes the rockier-guitar era...
Mcdode: well contact me later. I have to finish up some work
KDonhoops: alright, you bloody bastard

....and with that it ended. I did get in the 'bloody bastard' part, but he left after that. I sent dirtier IM's after my last line, but alas, he was offline.

And, in honor of Oleander's site, the breakdown:

KDonhoops: you have autographed Steely Dan albums?
Mcdode: why are going to tell me they are fake

--yes, that's because that's what I do. I point and yell, "fake!"--

KDonhoops: I was just wondering if you had autographed stuff that wasn't on albums...already have the albums, just wanting some autographs....
KDonhoops: ???.......are they?

--I deserve an Oscar for this. At least a damn Emmy--

Mcdode: Yes I do but there is some idiot out there trying tell people they are fake......... But the moron doesnt realize I plauyed pro music for 15 years

--Damn you, Caveat. You don't realize that "plauying" "pro" music for 15 years validates your forgerin' liscense.--

Mcdode: and no they are not fake

--Insert your own Britney Spears joke right here.--

Mcdode: and met the band and played with them

--I should have asked more about the "band." I could have gotten a Glenn Frey or Steve Perry autograph thrown in there. And we all know about his fucked up timeline, seeing how there hasn't been a band since 1981, and he's been a pro since 1984.--

KDonhoops: I seriously wouldnt know...but do you have them on anything besides albums?
Mcdode: no just album covers
KDonhoops: umm....new to this....can I not buy it through ebay? it says like 70bucks here, can I just offer twice that and not do it through ebay? ....I've yet to bid on anything there....I'd like to get the 'Gaucho' for me and my dad
Mcdode: you dont have to pay twice as much....
I can give it to you for the Minimum Bid delivered.

---eh, Jive Miguel, he's in from Bogota.--

Mcdode: are you a registered eBay user

--no, but I can do a wicked Gregg Allman signature!--

KDonhoops: no, I'm not.....when did you get it signed?
Mcdode: sometime ion the 80's

--why, when you're a professional, all these gigs (that's what the pros call 'em) kind of blend together. So who could remember what exact day he took the time to forge a few signatures?--

KDonhoops: I'm not trying to be a dick, just want to be safe....where were you when they signed it?
Mcdode: I dont remember honestly
KDonhoops: did they sign anything else for you (besides Gaucho)?....my dad likes 'Pretzel Logic' more than any other...or maybe Aja
Mcdode: I believe this is all I have left.
I have a friend that is a Laywer
who also has some too.
I can check to see what he has.

--Read: hold on, lemme go buy a few more CDs and a Sharpee. And what does a lawyer have anything to do with this? Can you see some lawyer looking closely at the album with bifocals on? "Yesss...looks real to me. I should know, I'm a lawyer!"--

KDonhoops: sweet....I like Gaucho, but my dad likes the rockier-guitar era...
Mcdode: well contact me later. I have to finish up some work
KDonhoops: alright, you bloody bastard

I should have said 'scurvy bastard.'

Alright, I'm going to go get sauced.

James,
I went to ebay, but i have a question, how does one post a feedback if one is not registered? do I have to register? I'm not being stupid, but your directions were a little vague. Please explain.

Is there any VCR tapes of SD out there in cyberspace?

Midnite--thanx. Maybe I'll head up to that selfsame parkway tonite with the kid who CAN stay up.

Clas--All is forgiven. Mad dog surrender. Yes I did.

James & caveat--much appreciation for your civicmindedness. He must be really sick to choose the Dan to defraud people. Why not someone more au courant? Must know a little something about some of the fans.... Things that make you go hmmmmm....

Instructions on how to fuck Mcdode:

1- go to www.ebay.com

2- type in steely dan

3- you will see up for sale a autographed Gaucho album for $69.00

4- Click on his name, Mcdode

5- go to user feedback and check the netrual box.( you can't hit negative unless you have a item #)

6- Blast the motherfucker to bits!

I just did a few seconds ago. If ALL of you do the same thing we can put this guy out of bussiness. He should be in jail!

please do it!

Caneat- I'm the one who posted on ebay "Beware Of Fake Steely Dan Autograph Above". I tried to do it again the other day when he had a fake Katy Lied autograph up for auction , but ebay took down my post and wrote me back with a warning that if I do it one more time they would boot me off ebay. This is bull shit! I tried to write them and then call them to let them know this guy is a crook. I got NO response. What ebay is really saying is that it's ok for this guy to sell fake Steely Dan autographs but it's NOT ok for me to go on and warn people about him. Of course that's why his auctions are private, he doesen't want anybody to be able to email the sucker who's bidding on the item to let them know. I say everyone on this guestbook should email this piece of shit and let him know how we feel about it. If everyone does this maybe he'll stop. His email address is...mcdode@aol.com

Thank You!

caveat: i would advise flooding the sleazy sob's feedback column with plenty of negative comments about his self-taught autograph skills. smart buyers (like Mrs. Nader) always check feedback before purchasing

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter fans:

from the new issue of Roland Users Group Magazine:

"At selected clinics, you'll even get recording tips and tricks from guitar great Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, noted Roland V-Studio user and former guitarist for the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan."

The dates listed featuring "Skunk" are:

August 24th
Denver, Colorado
Pro Sound
7405 E.Iliff Ave.
phone: (303) 751-7575
time: 7:00pm

August 25th
Dallas, Texas
MARS Music
8081 Walnut Hill Lane
phone: (214) 361-8155
time: 7:00pm

If anyone lives in or around Denver or Dallas I hope you can make the clinic. If you do please pass on any info on how it was.

Off to the mountains to watch the meteor shower.....enjoy!

MC

ole....Friday night should still have some nice meteors but tonight into tomorrow morning will definitely be the peak! Hope you get a chance to enjoy!

Been cruising through ebay last several weeks. There is some clown who sells fake SD autographed albums. Anyone who has ever seen a legit autograph could spot them. The first few times he listed, the autographs were clearly different from all the other SD autographs on auction at the time, and no one bit. But the last few times, he made the sale, maybe because his forgeries are getting better (thanks to the scans of legit autographs on ebay?). At least Donald's is looking better: Walter's is still way off.

This guy makes his autions "private". He'd probably say this was to 'protect his bidders from harrassment' etc but it also conveniently makes it impossible for anyone to contact his bidders either during the bidding or after the sale. He sells a LOT of autographs for music, movie, and sports figures and some of them may be legit, but going thru his 1,000+ pieces of feedback you can see some people have accused him of forgery or other nastiness & he always attacks them, claiming they are competitors or deadbeats, etc.

Seems like the only way to warn bidders to be careful is to post an "empty" auction, with nothing but warning text. I see somebody did that this time in the last few days. If that person reads this GB, *thank you*, and I hope you can keep doing it whenever he pops up. I don't sell any merch, I just hate to see some asshole making big bucks on fakes. At least people HERE should be warned and be careful. Look at all the autograph photo items you can and compare. It's no guarantee but you might be able to weed out the obvious fakes.

His name mcdode.

CrimsonTide: Congratulations.. Good Luck.. Be sure she plays lots of soccer..
Andrew: Remember an Aussie footballer named "Jacko"? He tried to be an NFL player for a year & sold Energizer batteries for a bit too.. Before the Energizer Bunny put him out to pasture.. Is he still around? Pro Wrestling, maybe?
Time to rent "Deep Impact" & "Armeggedon", then take the family out for a relaxing evening of meteor watching..
Nostradamus, eat yer heart out..
And the Aztec Calendar ends on Friday, too..
What will we do, what will we do? (wringing hands & rolling eyes..)

That came out looking kind of strange, didn't it. I wasn't referring to some bizzare oriental clone of Jeff Beck. I meant to say... JEFF BECK (and then that word that means stroking your fingertips across your forehead as though flicking sweat from your brow) Any way... that boy really knows how to wrangle a guitar! I've always been a big fan but that was the first time I've ever seen him play. Impressive.

Last Tuesday night... Conan O'Brien Show... JEFF BECK WHEW!!
Wish I'd Known ahead of time.. Ida posted.

MEMO

From: Management

As a result of the reduction of money budgeted for employees, we are forced to cut our number of personnel.

Under the new plan, older employees will be asked to accept
early retirement, thus permitting the retention of younger people who represent our future plans...and are paid less.

Therefore, a program to phase out older personnel by the end
of the current fiscal year, via retirement, will be placed in effect immediately. The program will be known as R.A.P.E. (Retire
Aged Personnel Early).

Employees who are R.A.P.E.D will be given the opportunity to
look for other employment outside the company. Provided they are being R.A.P.E.D., they can request a review of the employment
records before actual retirement takes place. This phase of
the operation will be calledS.C.R.E.W. (Survey of Capabilities of Retired Early Workers).

All employees who have been R.A.P.E.D. or S.C.R.E.W.E.D. may
file an appeal with upper management. This will be called S.H.A.F.T. (Study by Higher Authority Following Termination).
Under the terms of the new policies, employees may be
R.A.P.E.D. once, S.C.R.E.W.E.D. twice, but may be S.H.A.F.T.E.D. as many times as the company deems appropriate.

If any employee follows the above procedure, he or she will
be entitled to get H.E.R.P.E.S. (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel's Early Severance). As H.E.R.P.E.S. is considered a benefit plan, any employee who has received H.E.R.P.E.S. will no longer be R.A.P.E.D. or S.C.R.E.W.E.D. by the company.

Management wishes to assure younger employees who remain on
board that the company will continue its policy to ensure that employees are well trained through our Special High Intensity
Training (S.H.I.T.) program.

The company takes pride in the amount of S.H.I.T. our
employees receive. We have given our employees more S.H.I.T. than any other company in this area. If any employee feels he or she
does not receive enough S.H.I.T. on the job, see your
immediate supervisor, for your supervisor is especially trained to make sure you receive all the S.H.I.T. you can handle.

The Management

PBS. Last Night. Leonard Bernstein. Enjoyed.

any word on the new one?

wait. i can travel forward in time and be first in line at the Tower on Sunset. See ya.

Friday night. Jose Feliciano on PBS. Enjoy.

Ole, ehhh, did you say "handsome"?

Andrew - I don't think Jimi played on that one. But one of my best friends did, the drums. Bo Hansson is alive and kickin again after years of trouble, he had some gigs on a Stockholm club not long ago. Just the Hammond and drums.

Oleander - I'm sorry I lose my temper sometimes, that day I wrote that was a bad day for me. I'm sorry.

Please keep me posted of any new releases, live appearances, etc. I fell in love with SD when I was @14 and my aunt lent me a tape of Gaucho. I wore out the tape... Then she gave me Can't Buy... and Pretzel Logic....I've been a fanatic ever since. I had the pleasure of seeing SD live in Philadelphia. It was a religious experience.

F#--phor sure.

Hutch--Another ACC DanFan! "Saneitize"--I don't think so. It's hopeless, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

KD--I would like lots of long tunes. I would like a 2-cd set. Or a 4-cd boxed set to match my Citizen. Since I suspect that this will be their swan song. PS, you are sweet.

OMIO--Poker & Kabuki--fabulous.

Ebound--masters of omission--great. Absolutely.

wan--dug that.

Crimson--mazel tov! May she grow to be as wild & spirited as the Josie of song.

Julie--welcome. Hey now, I gotta say that Edd is much cooler than you think, and is kind of the mainframe mind around here. Of course you can say what you want, but you might also want to check out his deconstructions of some Dantunes--referenced here under lynx: http://home.earthlink.net/~oleander1/Index.htm

Clas--I never talk to seven-year-olds that way. I only talk that way to brilliant, creative, handsome Swedes who casually spin off extremely cool and thought-provoking threads. If something gets lost in my translation, just take out your squshy Dan and remember.

Midnite--Will Friday work for the Perseid? Can't keep the kids up on a school night.

Re: Ying/Yang Our feet are in the earth&our heads are in the stars. A race of angels tied to one another. Problem is territory, there are simply too many of us - That's one attraction of cyberspace - we all have room to mark our scents along the cable.
Investments: Plastics, of course!
Clas: Hansson - great for drifting off to sleep - didn't Jimi H. play on that. I wish they weren't making the movie - they'll probably get John Williams to do the music.

Beneficiaries;

That's a really ignorant statement.

Thursday Night: the peak of the Perseid Meteor Showers. No Moon in the way so if skies are clear do yourself a favor and get outside and enjoy Nature's best free show! The later into the night the better the show. If you get up early enough Friday morning go out for a bit and just look up and watch them fly. We're heading up to the Blue Ridge Parkway to get away from city lights. Don't forget insect repellant and maybe a blanket if it gets cool. Hope you get the chance to enjoy!

MC

Clas; Understood and agreed!

Hutch; You helped make my point without realizing it, I guess. Anger is a part of this world; repressing it only postpones its inevitable expression, which leads to the kinds of extreme acts that give anger a bad name. As I said, we can't allow ourselves to be consumed with it.

That very feeling of guilt you pointed to is important in the healing process. Anger is a feeling of displeasure resulting from injury or mistreatment. Calmness is not its opposite, as you said. People can be extremely calm and be full of pent up anger. Its opposite is a feeling of pleasure or forebearance. You are so right about that feeling of guilt. I've felt it many times after expressing my anger about something and it has always opened the door for healing. If you can't get past that feeling of anger, the door remains shut.

As long as there ARE people in the world who would, and will, commit acts against you, your abilities to experience and express anger are necessary for survival. I agree, though, that peaceful resolutions can be reached.

Stan: You're a sick pup. My Josie will remain in the house diligently studying Dan lyrics until age 30.

CRIMNSON TIDE- In that case, I'd like to go out with your daughter when she's, let say, 16?

HELLO ALL:

I HAVE POSTED INFREQUENTLY, BUT CERTAINLY HAVE ENJOYED THE CHAT ROOM. WANTED TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT MY DAUGHTER "JOSIE" WAS BORN ON 6/27/99. LET ALL DAN FANS REJOICE THAT ANOTHER IS WITHIN OUR RANKS!!!

Have liked your posts... I'm just across the Orange Curtain from you... Host a local radio talk show, among other things, where I play a lotta unlikely SD stuff... I too am a "waitperson/scholar"... What's yer field?... Just call me "College Beau"...

Rix Hex56 - I respect your opinion and certainly your right to express it.. but I still beg to differ.
In Eastern Philosophy you have the concept of Yin-Yang. It's the concept of opposites. Nothing can exist in and of itself. You can't conceive the concept of peace unless the concept of war exists. You can't know the idea of light unless you know what darkness is. You make the statement "Anger gives worth and meaning to happiness when we do get a taste of it." The opposite of anger is not happiness. The opposite of anger is CALMNESS. (sadness is the opposite of happiness) Most people don't really feel good after they've displayed an angry outburst (showed their ass, as we say) Oh, they might say "it was good to get it off my chest" but later they feel a little ashamed because they lost control. Have you ever looked at a person when they are in the midst of a fit of rage... look at their face.. they look UGLY. They lost their calmness. I'm not saying you should be a wuss and let people walk all over you, but you always come out on top if you respond to them without losing your cool.
I think we need to shift our perspective a little and rearrange our view of Life to one of compassion for all living things and, hopefully, that will bring calmness and, in turn, happiness and peace of mind.
I know this sounds like bullshit preaching. I don't mean it to sound that way. God knows I've got a lot of anger and bitterness over things that haven't worked out right in my life. That's why I'm going back to reading some Buddhist thought to try and rearrange my way of looking at things. It really disturbs me about the school shootings. And it REALLY disturbs me when I see all the anger and rage in today's music.

It doesn't have to be like this.

RixHex56 - no, I'm not a guitarplayer. But I know some guitarchords though. But that doesn't make me a guitarplayer. I'm not a pianoplayer either, but I make better music with the piano than I do with the guitar. And I get more inspired when I look down at the keyboard instead of holding a guitar in my hands.

What I mean with the guitar- contra piano-composing is that the average rockguitarplayer don't know shit about anything more than playing solo over a E major blues or playing ordinary A, C#m 7, E, D, Bm-chords, und so weiter.

I guess Skunk, Carlton, Randall etc had to learn a few things when they came to the first Steely Dan recordingsessions.

And I am of course not talking about jazzguitarplayers with those E7-5-10 chords at the top of their heads day and nights.

Or flamenco-castanjettos. Segovia and such fuckups (sorry Delta).

I'm talking ROCK here.

(Like when Fagen and Becker is strolling up on the stage like two confused collegeprofessors)

We former citizens of Columbine, Atlanta, Alabama, and L.A. are pleased to know that our lives were sacrificed for artistic endeavors.

Clas;

You can't possibly be a guitar player and have made that statement about guitar chords and guitar based music.

Altamira - "I'm just curious to find out more about his musical ideas" - that video is excactly what you're searching for! How he changed the song "Peg" from being built on ordinary blueschords into something very special. He describes how he made "On the Dunes" and so on. I think you should like it! And it's worth buying just to hear him pronounce "the steely dan orchestra". (right Ruby?) (how the hell do you know?) (Yes, those CD's!)

And for Berklee, he's been there and showed what he showed on that video I guess. He is not a pianoteacher.

Andrew - is this true - you have been listening to Bo Hansson? That Tolkien-album?

Senior Clas

Hutch;

Both the anger and the expression, thereof, are good. Expression of anger has been the catalyst for some of the greatest moments of artistic creation in our history. Not to mention giving worth and meaning to happiness when we do get a taste of it. It also triggers the self preservation instinct---something we need more contact with these days.

We can't be consumed with anger but repression of it serves no real purpose.

LEW CHANG
Mails in!!!!!!! Yes they do exist.
I've watcted it twice already!
Two hours of pure live SD.
Anyway back to the telly for more,I'll be intouch with a full
report soon.

F#maj9 - You are a noble human being. Namaste. I bow to your Buddha Nature (as Mr. Ben Stein would say) The "what you see" came to me pretty quickly but you got me on "Donald's Ancestry"
Yes, Howard's the Man! The two chords descending chromatically on the intro to Peg amaze me. Of course you have to whistle or hum the little melody line to get the full effect. Hey, I don't care if Donald Fagen never had a lesson in his life. You're a NATURAL if you can come up with forms like this.
Howard's also got the open tuning and tab for Jimmy Page's "The Rain Song" Well worth a look.
I thought your comments to Altamira were very touching and they showed a good deal of wisdom. Shifting one's perspective can be one of the most important things we can learn in life. It can help to keep us in the happy state in which we ALL belong.

Well, my e-mail's back up; I received the disk from Erols today with the new software. I plowed through 700+ messages (I'm on several lists, two of which are quite high-volume) and now I'm back here.

Altered Chords - Yes, I can relate to what you have written - I actually have captured insects and other beasties and returned them to the wild, and it was a great analogy and I will keep it in mind when I deal with the flamers. I have decided to keep everything in perspective around here.

Clas - I don't think that Fagen's a particularly good piano player, but I do enjoy his playing and I still think he's had some training - he wouldn't be able to play without it and he has mentioned having some musical training - he definitely attended a summer session at Berklee in 1966 and he must have studied something, although it may not have been piano. Regarding concert bootlegs and similar things, on the version of Bad Friday from the NYR&SR performances his singing does not sound good at all - he has bad days like the rest of us and I can understand why he didn't want to release this recording. I do plan to buy his video, not because I want to learn his piano techniques since I don't play the instrument; I'm just curious to find out more about his musical ideas and, to be honest, I like him and I'd like to watch him talk about something for a while. Thanks for the warning about Kinky, but I haven't quite figured out how to use those chatrooms yet!

The Wan - I do feel a bit queasy about the bootlegs; I enjoy the music on them but I'd enjoy it a bit more if it had been legitimately released. But I'm still glad I have them, so I guess it's a bit of a guilty pleasure.

David - I read about that site on another list today; I'm a bit dismayed to learn that my monitor can see me.

Altamizar - Get a fucking life, asshole. I only mentioned the e-mail problem because some folks from this list write to me privately and I wanted to let them know why I wasn't getting back to them. But why am I wasting the energy required to move my fingers to tell you this, you...oh, forget it, it's not worth the mental energy to come up with a term to describe you. And those of us who are aware enough to enjoy reading books and listening to CDs enjoy the recommendations we find here.

Earthbound - Good to see you here.

In Your Soul - Thanks; I've written that down and will look for it.

Hutch - I've seen the Letterman performance only in still photographs, but Becker does look quite laid-back, as he often does when he performs - downright tranquil, and a good complement to Fagen's more lively style. They always do compelement each other well, though; definitely a match made in heaven.

Andrew- one word: plastics

William S: wait a second... that was Marlowe's line, no? (Chris, in the dungeon, babbling, 'a lawyer fucked me' or maybe it was his agent- history is sketchy)

Hutch: WYSIWYG. no apology necessary (wait,it gets worse). Roger that re: Howard Wright. The word from Donald's ancestry: tsadik
(a righteous man), and smart... hoo boy. I discovered his site after OLGA shut down (correction, was shut down) in search of Zoot Alures, FZ, needed an altered chord altered- his ear is tailor made for the job. The songs he provides are also a testimony to his taste (insert your own superlatives).

Fun for any novice with six strings: coolness simplified. Play your standard cowboy chord Dmajor and frame shift your three fingers one fret down towards the nut. You now have the Snowbound Sound (that tingly passing chord 'tween verses- like Ivan Lendl kertwanging the bass line [with a screaming '59 Tele], if you'll pardon the mixed metaphor).

Oleander: "...phor"

Clas: I understand. Your vital signs are metaphorical- but easy does it. I'm not seeking agreement- just conversation. Take care.

Altamira: good line- "you screwed up... you trusted us" (Animal House, reel 3 scene 7). The similarities between those stereotypes and certain cybertypes are uncanny (and mildly depressing). Still a relative novice myself (about 10 months of casual interaction) I am disappointed with myself for failing to recognize sooner (trusting soul) that in this locale users will assume 'identities' for the sole purpose of baiting you for their own special variety of amusement. You might be the sort of person who would trap a panic-stricken moth that followed you inside with carefully cupped hands so you could release it into the night. You are vexed ("a pox on yonder vexation..." C.Marlowe) by one(s) who might pull off a wing so they could watch it flail around until they got tired of it whereafter they would go back to fucking an old gym sock which I mean metaphorically, of course; was that harsh? To the point: consider the "flames" in that perspective and they will transform into pathetic 'snick,snick... snick?' sounds (a Bic lighter that can't get it up), lest thou taketh the baith. O thit. I developthed a lithp.

Paul Mc. credits Little Richard with teaching him (Paul) how to scream "through his head" (again,Paul). Edgar Winter got it, too.
Step by step instructions would be ever so fine.

F#major9

OMIO: To me the amount of points scored is not the ultimate - soccer can flow beautifully without a goal.NFL has no rhythm. I shouldn't bring up sex but - just scoring a quick goal does not make for a satisfying game.
From left field: Does anyone have some inside info on MP3? I WAS going to invest but the prospectus looks so negative and the share price of $28 seems too high. Any thoughts?

An unfavorable review of Joe Jackson's performance and he did sing Steely Dan's Any Major Dude and a review of some of the Lilith Fair ladies all in the same Village Voice article:
http://www.villagevoice.com:80/arts/9932/sotc.shtml

Sorry I just couldn't resist when I read it.

Semi - c'mon.. be nice !

Julie - I'm new as well. Hang in there. I'm convinced it can be SANEitized. Focus... Focus...Focus

Anybody an E.Costello fan ?? Brilliant lyricist, I think.

awww... and look; she's cute as a pistol, too!

Face it - we all love bootlegs but they deep down suck. They are illegally obtained copies of property belonging to someone else, period. The people who own the licenses on those songs and performances should retain the right to distribute them or not as they choose.

And if they choose to distribute them, THEY should profit from it, nobody else.

Yeah, I've heard a few SD boots and I even own one. But I did not pay or trade for it, thereby allowing profit to come to the person who provided it. I know full well this it is a morally mushy position but anyone who argues its ok to profit on boots by demonizing Big Bad Corporations or Filthy Rich Artists doesn't fool anyone. They're full of self-serving shit.

By the way. Hi I am julie. I live in Redondo beach. I am a Waitperson/scholar and I only listen to Steely Dan and Sarah McLachlan. I've been reading this post area for a while. Wow. most other newsgroups are a lot saner!

Anybody have any good sarah bootlegs?!;-)

julie

Face it - we all love bootlegs but they deep down suck. They are illegally obtained copies of property belonging to someone else, period. The people who own the licenses on those songs and performances should retain the right to distribute them or not as they choose.

And if they choose to distribute them, THEY should profit from it, nobody else.

Yeah, I've heard a few SD boots and I even own one. But I did not pay or trade for it, thereby allowing profit to come to the person who provided it. I know full well this it is a morally mushy position but anyone who argues its ok to profit on boots by demonizing Big Bad Corporations or Filthy Rich Artists doesn't fool anyone. They're full of self-serving shit.

hey @scumbag.

Everything must be really rosey in that little world you have created for yourself.

I assure you that some person in his/her basement cranking out a handful of these CDs is not the enemy!

There are much bigger boogeymen out there.

I'm willing to bet that you have all the bootlegs yourself. I recommend sending your share to Greenpeace or to D&W care of their management.

Saw you on TV burning cars and throwing bottles at the Dave Matthews Concert last night.

Take a chill pill my friend.

Julie

PS Anybody got D&W's home address - I'd LOVE to meet them!?

Any guitarists out there who've been reluctant to tackle playing along with SD ?? The chord structures are a little intimidating. They're sure not your average I IV V as I'm sure "F#maj9" can tell us. Check out Howard Wright's tablature page.

www.ph.ed.ac.uk/~haw/music/tabfiles.html

This guy has got an amazing ear !! His tabs are right on. He's got about 18 Steely Dan songs on there including things like Larry Carleton's solo from Kid Charlemagne transcribed. And if you click on "my research" at the top of the page you'll see his Doctorate thesis on acoustic qualities of musical instruments... pretty heady stuff. I think he's from Scotland. Smart guy!

HELLO EVERYONE, I don't know how this works, but it does!!!!
Cyber "Camera"http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/3072/camera2.html

Enjoy, David

Edd--Yes, yes and yes. Those of us under the heel of American Capitalism have no choice.

Envious,

Sistuh

Should your pay reflect your cost of providing your services? If circumstances were that you found yourself living closer to your employer, should your pay be decreased? Should people who drive small cars be paid less than those who drive V8s?

Get a clue, CD prices are higher than cassettes because consumers agree to pay more. Simple demand based economics. If you buy CDs stop whining. You're indisputably placing enough value on the medium to justify the price. (Those of you being forced to purchase the items by way of having a gun to your head are excused.) I should hope your moral outrage is backed up by action. If your music purchases consist only of cassettes then I salute your activism.

Big Fan - I'm sorry but I have no idea what you're talking about.

StAl - couldn't you subtitle this Gbook?

And Norway? They're only listening to C&W there. Thanks to Nato.

Huge: A couple of more questions if you please. Was the Classic Albums show in Norway on the making of Aja in English or Norwegian or Lapp? It looks like they have a little over 4 million people in Norway - twice that of Connecticut. What percentage of them are Steely Dan fans? What percentage speak English? Did they show it first there rather than say England because there is a cult of Steely Dan worshipers in Norway and Steely Dan has secretly played over 1000 concerts there over the last 10 years or the government there requires a certain percentage of counter culture programming? Do they have a large number of households with cable TV or do they use satellite dishes? Do they need those big K band ones or can they use DSS dishes? Is there any space for satellites at that lat and long or are there too many US and Russian spy satellites in that orbit keeping track of the shortest distance between the two countries? Does the Aurora Borealis mess up satellite reception? Inquiring minds want to know? Thanks.
And finally Clas, according to my atlas, Sweden is without question the closest most of us live to Norway - could you, did you, would you see it? I'm sure the Va Danfesters would love a copy to watch.
Packages - only some class C explosives over the last week - it's not too late to start getting ready.

ehhh - Altamira, be careful with Kinky. You'll soon end up in a private chatroom with him and...

RubyBaby - Court and Spark, the titlesong is awesome. And Free Man In Paris (damm, have to call the stranger!) and Help Me.

Altamira - are you concidering Fagen a good pianoplayer? He is a good composer, lyricwriter, but no way, he's NOT a musician. And I don't think he has taken a single lesson in his life. He has listen to his faves. And tried to recreate.

He is creative.

Watch the video with Bernard or what the name is of that dull "jazzplayer", he's doing a video with Fagen, after you've seen that, you would NOT say that Fagen is a good pianoplayer.

And if you listen to the bootlegs from st Louis -93 (2 CD's) you would not call him a good singer either.

He's a composer.

Damn, Edd! It costs so much more to make a cassette but you'd never know it since they sell for about half the price of a CD!

Factors? Well, industrial high-speed cassette duplicators have pretty much been depreciated out in this country. If it wasn't for Garth Brooks, George Jones and SUV's, cassettes would pretty much be "dead" sound carriers in America. But, since Republicans have surreptitiously passed a number of laws benefiting big business, Sony, Columbia, WEA, etc., can sell their interest in cassette manufacturing & duplication to dummy corporations in, heck, the whole global community, and write-off a huge loss while selling the loss back to itself for a HUGE PROFIT!

So, you see, Edd, that's why even though CDR blanks cost half as much as chrome C-90 cassettes, cassettes still make more profit than CDs. It doesn't make sense and that's the beautiful thing about American business/politics. The consumer cares more about price than anything and besides, Kenwood has 1.1 million cassette units warehoused and Corporate America has a duty to see that there are enough Garth Brook's cassettes to keep them busy until inventory dictates another leap in technology!

FANOFDAN!!! .......Has the postman delivered the goods yet??! ...........Please let me know!...........BY!!

earthmen have no defense,

What exactly do you mean by that? I had a friend in South Hampton who wrote with a similar style but I don't believe he ever listened to Steely Dan. I could be wrong of course so I think I'll call him and see if you is him. I know that's not gramatically correct but I'm writing late because my server was down earlier and proper style doesn't interest me. I'll probably wake up tomorrow and regret writing this but nobody, and I mean nobody, disses Altamizar.

Everyone Else: Your posts were very interesting and I'm going to buy all the books and CDs you mentioned as long as my cat doesn't have leukemia and require expensive medical procedures.

hobnobbin through calcutta I met a woman who mighta
mighta made contact and in fact she did
a glorious day 'cept for the hell that she owed
hell that she owed but never told till she thought I could pay
pay the illusion that persists to this day
though I know the exclusion wasn't ordained
'fact I couldn't do this any other way
if not for a mizarrian kiss
despite the mizarrian kiss.

but that's extreme
i know what you mean
she was more than a machine
more like ben stiller and the voices that will ya'
to do things for money that you would never do
unless a big face was on the bill that you drew
out of the bank
tell benny thanks
and thank the other ben too.

The only relief from plane crashes, government upheavals,
and sports strikes would appear to be... THE NEW ONE!

Dearest Mr. Chow: With all undue respect, please (re)visit
the archives, noting that I've not been on the scene for mere
minutes, but rather, an apparent eternity. Like yourself, I
await the appointed time when proper notification of the duo's
upcoming release takes place. Thank you gingerly.

Hey Altamira: Wow. Did you feel the same about the timing of
Gaucho's release. Hearing Fagen's "Hey19!" seemed kinda spooky
at the time. Literally, one week later, and all that 'leaving
the teenage realm,' was finished. That song/LP meant so much.
Still does. In '96, Glamour Procession was a killer live.
(Check your mail.)

KD: Aja's sparse lyrics...
I gotta say this. Becker and Fagen are experts with omission.
What I mean by that is, their compositions in general and their
lyrics in particular, provide the skeleton, allowing the audience
to flesh out the meaning. Look at IGTN - talk about an invitation
for you mind to wander! Sometimes the less said, the better. And
of course, they always provide music which aids the imagery.

Hey, what's up with THE Steely Damned?

"Their engines make the white sand swirl"

Earthbound

"Court and Spark". Nice Joni.

Unusual DanMoment: I heard Walk Between The Raindrops in a discount drug store. I never expected that!

Clas: Thank God you're okay. I was fretting. That's oroa sig to you. I've decided I must obtain a Joni Mitchell recording. Which one would you reccommend?

I was cleaning out the bottom shelf where I keep my old vinyl records and saw the back side of Countdown To Ecstacy. Say what you want, but Donald Fagen was scary, in an attractive sort of way...

rb

Uncle Sammy,

Are you saying the Neo-Nazis are being sued because they didn't march? God I love your sense of humor!

Tippin' the Scales,

LL

Altafalfa: It was a JOKE, get it? And besides, how many times does the government do anything logically?

Send Money Anyway,

Unca Sammy

Reflections is from the Thelonius Monk tribute album entitled "That's the Way I Feel Now."

Dear Yo, Sounds like you're sticking up for the guy that is going to give us all of this rare SD stuff on 1 cd. You make him out to be the good guy. I'll tell you what, this clown should take all the money he makes from his bootlegs and donate it to his faviorte charity, and then I might listen to your shit. It's all about the money going into HIS pocket, it's NOT about the music! You can give me every excuse in the world, but he's just a scumbag boot-legger!

Fuck off

Alta - No, I don't know of a Thelonius Monk album that Fagen & Khan were on. I think I misunderstood your reference to a cd you have (bootleg I guess) with a song called "Monk's Reflections"
I'm not familiar with it.

I read an interview some time ago with Fagen where he talked about how happy he was that Walter was not only producing Kamakiriad but also playing all the guitar solos because he liked Walter's "laid back" style of playing. There's certainly no better way to describe it! Watch him solo on Josie in the Letterman Show spot... very loose, detached ... VERY jazzy phrasing. I love it !!

Kinky - Yes, I overreacted. I'm angry about some other things and that person's post just kind of set me off. What I wrote wasn't really about him; I did go too far, and it was cruel. I will not tolerate any more nasty posts directed my way, but I will keep what I write, and what I think, within reasonable bounds and I will be civil.

Hutch - Damn, I'd like to drop the whole thing too, although not without taking responsibility for my actions. I'm not sorry for being angry, but I shouldn't have either thought or written in such violent terms, and for that I am sorry. There are two versions of FM - in the longer one, there is a guitar solo before the sax solo at the end. Thanks for the information on Steve Khan - is there a whole Monk album that they did, or was it an album by Khan that Fagen plays on for one track? Either way, I'd be quite interested in buying it. I'll have to look for Khan on one of the music web sites. I suppose the Brecker brothers are the ones who have played on SD albums?

Chicoo - Wise warning; I will heed your advice. What people write here is certainly not getting all worked up about; I will enjoy most of the posts and not take the rest too seriously; real life is far more important.

Altamira - you write:

"...and my greatest desire is to see you die, and this world will be a vastly better place without your sorry self in it." And then as his skull cracked open, I would laugh and laugh as his brain splattered out of his head."

and you say other people's posts are uncivil?

Anger..Shmanger ! I agree with Chicoo. That whole discussion needs to go by the wayside. Back to the important stuff: Another question... are there two versions of FM? Seems to me I've heard a version on the radio recently with a guitar on the outro instead of the sax that I'm used to hearing on the Gold compilation.
Alta - The guy named Khan you mentioned who played with Don on the Monk album is probably Steve Khan. He was a pretty well known studio player in the seventies. He was in The Brecker Brothers Band... Powerhouse Funk type stuff !! Played fusion on a screaming Telecaster. He also plays on True Companion and Babylon Sisters. He put out a few albums on his own on Columbia in the late seventies. I've got a cd called "Steve Khan - The Collection" Smokin' guitar player !!

Altamira,

Yo! chill out girl! (hipchecking you right across the room to knock some sense in ya!) What's to blow your top over? It's only cyber, fahgetaboutit! You feed these crazy animals and they're gonna come back for more. You think Fagen or Becker would give a rat's ass if they read some of this stuff? They'd laugh their asses off! Be cool, use your rage control, be a diplomat. You're gonna bust a blood vessel in your noggin, the next thing you know, you'll be on all kinds of mood stabilizers, over what? This corkboard? Loosen up, go out more, dance, laugh, sing, have a beer, have two, whatever moves you. Take care of the bullies on the street, you can't punch a guy out in the cyberworld, they don't have any faces. Fahgetaboutit!

A friendly message from "da guys" on the Northside.
chicoo

Damn, I HATE this non-working e-mail software! I'm going to download Eudora Light once I get finished here so I can communicate with folks again, although I'm glad that I can still post here. (I hate talking on the phone and e-mail is my primary form of communication; I feel like I'm stranded on a damn ice floe right now.)

Clas - Interesting comments on Fagen's piano style. However, I don't think it's completely accurate to refer to him as not being educated on the instrument. He certainly must have had piano lessons or he wouldn't be able to play the instrument at all, and he was studying something at Berklee in the summer of 1966; since he was playing piano at the time, it would have made sense for him to have taken some piano courses there, although, who knows, maybe he just studied theory and composition. However, he has certainly been creative in his playing.

I was intrigued by the quote you mention about Fagen saying that Becker's strength was in the lyrics. People have said that here, too, and it's rewarding to see Fagen himself confirm that theory. I love your phrase "displeasured archivist" - that's great!

Hutch - I would say the expression of anger. Sure, going around snarling at people isn't good, but neither is bottling up anger, which either turns inward or explodes at odd times. People, myself included, need to find healthy ways of expressing anger before it becomes dangerous.

RixHex56 - Normally no one should pay for police protection for a demonstration, that protection is part of defending free speech. However, in this case, the demonstrators canceled their march, and so all that money for police protection was wasted. If the four of them had just gone ahead with their march, the money would have been spent appropriately and no one would be suing them.

Regarding anger, see my response to Hutch. I really did go over the top when I was responding to Altitudina, but I had been avoiding responding to flamers (for the most part; there were a few little snarls here and there) for quite some time in the hopes that they'd leave me alone, and it didn't work, so I was pretty pissed off by the time I finally did respond. We have a number of flamers here; I don't mind the flames directed at the contents of posts, but some of the flames seem to be personal attacks and that hurts. If someone writes something mocking and insulting me again, I will respond quickly and angrily. I don't put up with shit anymore; there's no point to letting people bully me. And to all those who don't like what I write, don't read it. It's as simple as that.

Hot City and Empty Pocket - Great post; quite creative and original. You have some interesting observations. Regarding the radio interview with Fagen, I love to listen to him talk - he has such an expressive way of speaking, which carries over into his singing - he conveys a great deal with his voice whether speaking or singing. I will take you up on your most tantalizing offer once I get this dangblasted mailer up and running.

Yo - Hey, I bought those two CDs and I enjoy them greatly (especially Big Noise, New York and Confide in Me). Some of those tracks were released elsewhere but a lot of them weren't, and although I'm sure F&B had their reasons for holding them back (maybe they just didn't have anywhere to put them? These songs didn't fit on any album and there may not have been any other way to release them), it is great to hear them.

William Wright - OTOH, the version of Century's End on MKC is different from the one on Gold - since the song was remixed for Gold, presumably the one on MKC is the original soundtrack version. The rhythm track is more pronounced, which probably gave it a bit more dramatic punch for the movie version.

Lizzy Boredom -

"Donald isn't showing you shit and why should he? To disclose what lies underneath- the interior- is to invite a certain demise. Why expose your vulnerability or show a chink in the armour? In that instant we allow the possibility of invasion by outside forces.
I believe Donald is calculating and makes us think/feel exactly what he WANTS us to think and feel. At no time does he shake off the obscurity and bare himself.

Covering. Persona. Mask."

Great. Who are you Lizzy? Come back!

RubyBaby - cool. Is that Joyce Cooling good?

Midnight Cruiser - speed? With my fragile sternum? IF I would, I'd like a soft, soft barbiturate pillow to crash in on.

Clas F

knew chords = new chords

RubyBaby - We'll meet!

F#maj9 - My apologies. I believe I spoke too soon.

Lonnie -"Question for anyone out there : What exactly IS a Black Cow?"

As the lyrics goes; "drink, you big black cow, and get out of here". Could be anything from a whore or a bitch or a... well whatever when an unhappy man is thru with a woman.

Altamira - that typical piano style your talking about was born in California during the 70s. Joni did it (Fagen probably picked it up from her), Jackson Browne did it and Craig Doerg among others. It's a kind of style that comes pretty natural when you're not educated on the instrument. And being not educated gives you more freedom, to invent knew chords, chords that started that so typicall laid back West Cost style, for example, a simple A major with a D in the bass. A hallmark for both Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell, and of course, Jackson Browne (listen to Rosie, Runnin on Empty etc).

(The typicall nasal voices though, blame it on the coke)

Such chords were/is hard to play on a guitar, and that's why we always have to listen to those fuckin same E A B blues standards when a band is guitarbased. (Beckers 11TOW is based on more regular chords, see?)

But Joni Mitchell. She invented her own open tunings and created "new" chords.

Funny thing, I found an article from Expressen written by Mats Olsson nov 20, 1982. Mats Olsson is interviewing Fagen on some label office on Madison ave, Manhattan. Fagen says:

- "It took me six months to write Nightfly. And many times I turned around to ask Walter for help. But he wasn't there. His strength was the lyrics."

For the interviewer Fagen looks nothing like a rock star; more like a displeasured archivist, thin and skinny. At the time, Fagen had not performed live on stage since 1974 and there was "nothing, nothing that could bring me out on tour again".

And at last - Roy Scam, is there anything that I have said to you that have pissed you off? Please let me know.

Oleander - thanks for your respond on my "Fagen - Acting" thing, but please, I know, you've been to the Ivy League, I haven't, but please - don't talk to me like I was seven years old. If I say something, I believe in it, and you can't change it from your high altitudes. You're NOT the Supreme Judge here.

Clas, falasha

PS/SEMB, wait till tomorrow ok? Hey, what was that date on that email anyway? Have tomorrow gone?

In regard to people holding a demonstration; why would either group have to pay for policing of the event?

God damn it, the line is "To bed or not to bed"

stupid transcribers. get better seats next time

any word on the new one?

I was referring to "hot city" in that last post.

Is it the anger itself or the expression of the anger that's "good" for you ?

What the hell was that !!! Stream-of-consciousness... psuedo-poetry... or just terminal "hipness" ?????

Hey, Altamra,

I think you can keep right on going with your angry outbursts. They are probably very healthy for you, mentally. We live in a society that is too out of touch with what we are as beings. I'm not promoting physical violence as a general rule but it seems that some people think of anger in only a negative light. Our society has gone so far in trying to eliminate it that we can't even defend ourselves anymore without offending someone.

You go right ahead and keep your self preservation instincts alive and do our race a favor in the process.

As for football not being a sport; I found it listed next to golf, of all things, in the dictionary under "sport".

Acropolis Now, Joe Jackson, spinning...mmmm,hmmm.

OMIO: heavy. thanks. i registered circa 1971 1S and held breath in a room full of bros in a dorm lounge by tin foil enhanced faltering tv light (my date of birth pulled lotto# 362). Those mentally scurvied citizens who railed against the returning displayed not only trike IQs, but canine-style concept- dysfunction (whereby the human being points to a blue Gov. Issue moon and the little doggie stares at the outstretched finger instead). Have you read The 13th Valley (DelVecchio)? Your comments would be appreciated (I estimate he nailed it). Also, Sheehan's A Bright Shining Lie swings a telescope over to that countermoon to which we who protested were actually pointing.

MrChow/Andrew: Jack Lemmon in Save The Tiger- i tell my kids "once upon a time, there were no digital special effects. there was character development." After the first 30 minutes they got into The Flight of The Phoenix. They clicked into Save The Tiger as the credits finished rolling. Lemmon could act in a Steely Dan song. Normal reaction to abnormal situation/ abnormal reaction to a normal one...

Altamira: method/feel/pretend, ya. exacatacally (one of the places) where i was going. interesting you focus on the "awful dream i have most every night". Writers speak to us through their characters sometimes by design...sometimes unintentionally. I usually lack time/desire to seek tapes and cybersnippets in the fanatical fan-ish sense but just as Kamakiriad was released DF did some radio call-in show which an old friend now in LA taped and sent me (post 20-yr HS reunion thang). It was the first time i heard Donald tawking. As he interacted with the host and the callers I felt he personified a vibe i had already been grok-ing for some time. When i heard the "awful dream" line it resonated similarly and i wondered how much of Himself was slipped into Hissongs (or snucked... in all by Themselves).

Recently, i came upon a net-gracious offer to trade 'out takes' for blank CD medium. taken, i took it and got takes. very cool, outre stuff (someone played Jacques Cousteau in the dumpster behind the studio???) Interesting. There's a short segment of what sounds like a larger interview during which Fagen jokes about seeing his uncle Dave in the audience in miami, WB riffs along, the two share the laugh, then DF alludes to a nightmare he has sometimes...a convenient coincidence with the unsubstantiated point i was making at last wafting

Oleander: ya, that's the crux of the biscuit of my rantings avec
'more than an actor'. I submit that there is *no away* w/r/t what others are describing as 'detachment'. The moment the pen touches paper (or pick to string) is when detachment-hope flies out the window. Randy Newman might not be as correct as he thinks he is about himself? maybe, ya! and The most Fanatical fan is deluded if s/he believes they rilly know the artist through their work. Dan songs create equations the listener extrapolates. I see a duality of conceptual extreme (the hyperbolic function lunacy) from which emerges the reality i submit: the artist cannot keep themselves OUT. [also, was hoping Clas would "riff" back. from the vital signs reported can you confirm a diagnosis of aggravated shock?]

Finally: anyone who has posted is welcome to email and i'll send a free tape of the CD of the tape of the tapes of the out takes tape. some of it poor quality. some taken off Roger's board in concert? wow. some are "Dan-in-the-box" no-solo mixes (good clean fun for folks with chops who want to experience "The Motivation". just imagine two hauntingly familiar faces staring through control room glass ready to receive your meta-moment o' magnetic magic) and some genuine "second arrangments"(a spankin' everone's gone to the...)Also, Dallas the Waterway, Jack of Wet Side, I'm guessing many have heard all this and more (especially like Donald reacting to solo on your gold teeth... a keeper? fuckin' A, babe) however, if there are too many takers i reserve the right to send a tape with a request for you to copy and send to another (geometry).

Annomnimititee repsected (to the Steely Dan Fan at...)
ahem. that's Gee, i'm a tree.

the same to you
F#maj9

Julie -

How much does it cost to make a CD? How much does it cost to make a cassette tape?

Are there any other factors that influence these prices?

HATWW is an outtake - no matter how you look at it. Moreover, it is great to have all those songs on 2 cds instead of having to buy the true rip-offs: Greatest hits, decade, japanese 11tow (at $30 for one song) and the box set- brought to you by the worse than bootleggers - D&W +MCA. What some millionaires won't do for a few bucks!!!!!!!!?????????

At least someone, surely not D&W, took the time and loving care to bring these rarities to light. This should have been done for the box set. By their own admission, there are 13 -14 tunes that they should have released but chose to rip us off for the one, albeit cool, outtake.

Are you aware that if not for people (bootleggers, I quess) in the audience writing down Shakespere's plays as they were being performed originally, his plays whould have been lost for ever!

There are 5 major record companies in the world - do you trust them to bring you the best music possible or just the same bullshit they can ram down your oh so willing throat. The same companies that charge you much more for a CD than a tape even though CDs cost much less to make than a tape!

Get a clue before you spew!

Julie Manchino

What do think is going to happen at a Dave Matthews concert where there are thousands of very young beer drinking idiots trying to be just like Dave? Matthews tends to draw these kinds of crowds.

As far as the Korean Collection or whatever it's called, the boot-legger calls Here At The Western World an out-take, but what he's trying to say is that it's an out-take from the Royal Scam sessions, and is no different then the one on the Greatest Hits record. Man, what some people will do to make a buck.

Big Fan: Looks like the same peace loving group which closed the Woodstock'99 concert

The Eagles are asking $1000/ticket? They aren't worth it..
Sportsfan DU: Oh come on.. You find Baseball more of a sport than NFL football? Baseball is the least "Sport" there is.. It's a Game.. Not a Sport.. More like a cross between Poker & Kabuki Theater.. Itch, Spit, Fidget, and (don't blink!) Action!.. it's all Ceremonies & Posturing, with an occasional brawl thrown in because they're sooo pissed off with no way to blow off all that pent-up aggression.. (Hey Alt.. Try Baseball!)..
But what about Soccer? (which I coach, BTW).. That Stoopid Offsides Rule! How many championships are ever decided by these silly, contrived, Shootouts.. Except Soccer? Any sport that has so little scoring that they have to suspend the rules of the game in order to score needs some serious rule changes..
For all those time-outs, the NFL rarely has 0-0 as a final score in regular time..
Too bad, because Soccer is the sport where the size of the man with the heart is truly less important than the size of the heart with the man.. More than Basketball (just be Tall!).. More than Football (just be Big!).. More than Baseball (just be Gross!)..
Have you ever looked at a dugout floor after a game? Bluhh!
"We're not atheletes, We're Baseball Players!"
From "Mr. Baseball"..

Hutch - "My Mandarin Plum" and "My Korean Colleen" are a pair of bootleg CDs with all sorts of interesting odds and ends on them - the Fagen/Khan cover of the Monk tune that I mentioned is on MMP.

Uncle Sam - I think the neo-Nazi group should pay for the police costs, not the groups that planned the counter-rally. I don't understand your logic here. Are you also going to send a bill to the other hundred or so sponsoring organizations, such as the National Progressive Baptists and the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League (I hope I got those names correct; I don't have the program in front of me.) And are you also going to send a bill to Mayor Williams and Representative Norton, who spoke, and Peter Yarrow and all the others who performed? I just don't follow your line of reasoning.

For all of you Dave Matthews'fans - maybe three concerts was too much in Hartford. The second and third nights had some pretty good rioting in the parking lots of The Meadows. Burning cars, cops in riot gear - sounds like Kent State. Same parking lot I just used twice.
http://www.courant.com/news/article/ctnews1.stm

Dear Ms. Thomas,

Please enclose an additional $500 in your next tax payment to help cover the $1,000,000 dollar tab it cost your government to police the Neo-Nazi non-event. This is only fair as we are demanding that the four (4) Neo-Nazis who showed up to give us $250,000 each and your group caused all the problems anyway.

If this is the first incidence of the so-called "web-policing" you've heard about lately then get used to it, citizen. After a 15 year delay Big Brother is finally de-bugged and listening.

Thank You for Your Compliance,

Uncle Sam

The Discovery Channel will cover the total eclipse "live" this Wed. beginning at 6am ET with an unprecedented number of cameras and crews that will document the phenomenon like never before. My guess is that animals will go back to sleep and roosters will crow twice in one day as the 60-mile-wide swath of darkness creeps across Europe. Also, grapes will no doubt lose just a hint of sweetness which may make this a banner year for dry, French wines.

You know, in any other time this event would have caused wide-spread panic and moved at least one syphilis ravaged Warlord to amass an army and conquer the known world. Especially when on the very next evening (8/12) the stars (perseids) will fall from the sky like the vanquished enemies of said Monarch's crack-pot reasoning. Instant Confirmation. But of course, we know it's all just coincidence. A million-billion to one but well within the limits of odds-making. Still, I bet it will fool 9 out of 10 roosters.

Thank goodness we live in the modern world where all of this can be explained with simple math and world leaders have easy access to condoms and penycillin. Can you imagine the death, destruction, wars and general despotism that might ensue otherwise?

Wiping Augustus Caesar Out of My Memory While Programming My VCR,

SEMB

Just a quick one: in the Brian Sweet book it mentions B+F having to go back and add background vocals to "Here at..." before putting it out on that first greatest hits album. It apparently was recorded during the 'Royal Scam' sessions but as we all know released with the Greatest Hits sometime after 'Aja' and before le Gaucho amigo. So maybe someone copped that version for the bootleg, the same song we all know and love minus the background vox and whatever else they added that we don't know about the second time around.

Or, wait, I think they recorded it during the Aja sessions. Aw, screw me, I'm going to bed. Good call on that Monk/Fagen pian-er style (say it like Peter Vecsey). Playing shaped by formal lessons, Thelonious his old friend, and having to keep rhythm and get the chords across whilst trucking around New York with Walt trying to sell songs.

SHHHHHHHHHH
you're irritating me

Alta: What's "My Mandarin Plum" (besides a line from Green Flower Street) Is this a bootleg or something? I'd love to hear an outtake of Western World... that's a beautifully constructed song.

Dr. Mu - So Fagen's percussive piano style was inspired by Monk? Interesting; I'll have to listen to, and buy, some of his music. I have just been listening to Fagen and Khan's (the cheapie notes on this not-quite-legitimate CD don't give me his first name) version of Monk's Reflections, which is just marvelous; I'm really eager to hear some more of Monk's music. That's another thing I appreciate about B&F; they've encouraged me to explore the music of some great jazz and blues musicians I probably wouldn't have thought to listen otherwise, since these are styles of music I hadn't paid much attention to before - my loss, up until now.

Alta: The chords behind Walter Becker's solo do have that percussive Monk-ish quality of Donald Fagen's (i.e., Fire in the Hole or My Old School). However, Michael Omartian is given credit on that song according to the Decade notes. The massaged chords during the verses are more of a trademark M.O. I agree that we generally associate him with those melodic bursts in Rose Darling or Here at the Western World.

Hutch - Welcome! Good to have you here. Regarding the remastered recordings; I've been wondering the same thing - since the recordings were what F&B considered to be as close to perfection as they could come, how could remastering "improve" them any? I suppose that they just provide a slightly different perspective on the music, and also that the difference in sound could be best appreciated on a really good stereo. (And they really were particular - I just listened to the outtake from Here at the Western World on My Mandarin Plum, and, to my ears, it sounds just like the final version, but it wasn't good enough for F&B; obviously there were imperfections that they could hear that needed to be corrected.)

Thanks for the book recommendation; I'll check it out. I had a Peace & Love hippy moment myself this weekend - I went to the rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday to counter the no-show neo-Nazis with the political action group I belong to (and they're great people; please don't associate my anger with the group I belong to; they're all calm and chilled out; my anger is my own). One of the performers was Peter Yarrow from Peter, Paul and Mary. He sounds as good as always and he was great at getting everyone involved. We all crossed our arms and held hands with the person next to us, then started swaying and singing We Shall Overcome. Several of my friends mentioned that they had never done this before, and the one who had done it before said it was making her feel like an old hippy, but they all said that they enjoyed it in that context - a little sappy, of course, but certainly not without its merits, and appropriate for the situation.

Regarding the piano on Bad Sneakers, that does sound as if it might be Fagen. Generally, his piano style tends to have a stronger emphasis on rhythm, almost as if the piano were a percussion instrument, and the more lyrical piano parts were played by others, particularly Michael Omaritan and Paul Griffin, but the piano work on this song does have the percussive sound of Fagen's style, only a little bit more lyrical than some of his other work on this instrument. By the way, at the time he was playing for Steely Dan, Michael Omaritan also had a successful career as a Contemporary Christian musician as part of a duo with his wife, Stormy. I know this only because I had a friend back then who listened to Christian Contemporary music (I prefer classical religious music and wouldn't normally have listened to the sort of music she liked; it's not bad, it's just not what I like, then or now) and I asked to borrow her Omaritan albums because I knew Michael played for Steely Dan and I wanted to hear more of his playing.

Edd - I recently read an article about ticket prices. Certainly an act can charge as much as the market will bear, but I do admire those who charge a bit less to allow more fans to come to a concert. However, I'd be willing to pay quite a hefty sum to get a good seat for a Steely Dan concert since it would be such a rare and special occasion. Also, I'm really looking forward to getting to observe and enjoy Fagen's stage persona; he always sounds so lively and energetic when he introduces songs on the live recordings I've heard - I would think he'd be a lot of fun on stage. Of course, I would hope that Becker would talk some too; I'm sure he'd have something witty to say.

Q--If I send my bucks to you now, will you get me a ticket next to you?

Guys--Typical American argument, big vs. huge. Huge, BigFan is chill and every once in a while one of these brushfire snitfits breaks out. It's just withdrawal flashbacks. Everybody gets 'em. This is one big rock & roll twelve-step group & we're all in it together.

Kinky--What does that mean, "boink"?

Chicoo- If that was the best hip check you got, I would consider retirement.

Big Fan- To answer your questions, Yes, Yes, no, no, yes. And when I want some info on Sheryl Crow I'll give you a ring.

Huge, that's great - have you seen it? Do you have a link for it? I guess I should have specified "never came out on VH1", sorry. Maybe you could post your review of it (and maybe enlighten us on your obvious Steely Dan expertise) instead of just being childish. Just because Tom Scott wasn't interested, that doesn't mean he wasn't at least called. Are you so sure he didn't come to NYC for filming and renunion and then just wasn't included in the final cut? Have you been in touch with him personally? I know Wayne Shorter wasn't interested or didn't remember) - do you have your sax players confused? Do you ever post any info about Steely Dan that might be useful, entertaining or informative using a different nick? Let us know which one so that we know it's you and that you get full credit.

Q,
read the tail end of my post. I was sincere about that. Of course I'm gonna chill out on him, and to prove it, now I'm going to defend him too.

Watch my smoke...............

Oh Huge Fan, listen up,

Stand a little closer while the infamous hipcheck comes your way. Big Fan doesn't live in Norway, and no one in the U.S of A could have possibly been able to view said program. I also ventured into the VH1 site and this is what i found:

Q. Is VH1 the same in the United States and Europe?
A. No, the two channels are programmed independently. If you have
questions related to VH1 Europe, please go to its website at www.vh1.de

Breath in/Breath out
chicoo

God, I've missed you!

You are now the best looking guy on this message board.

The company that has produced the series "Classic Albums" is British.

http://www.classic-albums.com/

It's hard to tell what pull, if any, on the broadcast schedule B&F would have on the broadcast of The Making of Aja. None of the shows from second phase of the series have been broadcast as of yet on VH1 or any other venue in the US. However, it's logical that VH1 *might* broadcast the Aja program shortly before or concurrently with the release of the new one, if that fits their schedule and depending how far in the future that may be.

2nd series lineup:
* Meat Loaf ~ Bat Out of Hell
* U2 ~ The Joshua Tree
* Bob Marley ~ Catch A Fire
* The Who ~ Who's Next
* Steely Dan ~ Aja
* Phil Collins ~ Face Value

Stranger & Stranger- The question should be, "Do they get a long with anybody?"

So they chose Norway to debut it, huh. Now I know why they rarely get along with their record label.

S&S

Big Fan- First Joe Jackson and now the Aja special that never came out? FYI Big Fan, the Aja special that never came out was shown in Norway last week. (How big a fan are you, anyhow?) BTW Big Fan, Tom Scott failed to show any interest in the special and never appeared on it. Back to the Lillith fair......

Pittsburg Post Gazette didn't particularly like Tom Scott's newest CD (On Windam Hill Jazz of course) Loved that sax on Aja "Drink your big black cow and get out of here..." Wasn't Scott interviewed for the mystical VH1 special on Aja that never came out.

http://www.post-gazette.com:80/magazine/19990808rec4.asp

Q, how did you know I was being facetious?

This is my first post. I spent about two hours last night reading the banter between all the regulars. Fascinating Captain!! No, seriously I think it's great... especially when every one gets back to the main focus: our admiration and respect for Donald and Walter.
I have a question for anyone who would care to respond. I borrowed a copy of the remastered Can't Buy a Thrill from a friend and bought a copy of the remastered Katy Lied a few days ago. Honestly I'm DAMNED if I can tell much difference in my old cds and these remastered versions. Is it just me?? I've been playing guitar in bands for about 30 years now and I would hate to think my ear can't pick it up. I recently bought the 25th Anniversary remastered Band on the Run album and the difference just jumps right out at you. Of course it's hard to figure out how Fagen & Becker could improve much on the original mixes since so much time was spent pouring over them initially.
And Alta: You seem like a really sweet, intelligent person. Don't let anger get the best of you. It can be a very destructive force both mentally and PHYSICALLY. It can actually cause coronary problems! I'm not trying to be glib.. believe me, I'm not... but check out a book titled The Art of Happiness. It's conversations with The Dalai Lama of Tibet. Very enlightening. Guess I'm just an old Peace & Love hippie. Can't help it.
There are certain little sections of SD songs that just blow me away. Check out the piano behind the guitar solo on Bad Sneakers. I wish I knew if that's Donald or Michael Omartian. It's certainly a majestic piano part through the whole song but I really like that one section.

Best wishes to everyone, Hutch

If any band wants to try and get $1000 a pop for a ticket, I say go for it. Conversely, if a band wants to hold the price of their tickets to $4.25, more power to 'em.

I don't believe you, or I, have any god-given right to attend a show no matter how big a fan we may be.

Hello all---

I'm still sort of new to the internet and I've been jumping around to different band-sites. This looks like a good one.
I've spent a lot of time at the Eagles site, L&M's Eagles Fastlane, the last several weeks because they had a huge argument going on concerning the ticket prices of the upcoming Eagles concerts. $95, $250, $450, $1000. I was shocked! It appears that things are way out of control these days. I guess the thing that surprised me more than anything was how avidly the Eagles fans (most-not all) defended these prices. The debate went on and on and on---

I hope the Dan tickets won't cost that much---

Any thoughts?

Chill on my man BigFan- not that he needs me to defend him, but........ don't take it all so literally - it's an awfully narrow point to try to nail him on.
He's one of the really SOLID people on this board(ok so he went to Lilith Fair- we're all human! - I dig Tori Amos !)

See you all on the 2000 Summer tour - I'll be the guy standing up in the front row.

Q

Dante - I didn't write my post last night to get attention - I get all the attention I need from satisfying relationships with people out in the real world. I wrote it for cathrasis - I was infuriated by what that jerk wrote and that anger had been eating away inside of me for days. After I wrote the post, I felt much better and still feel a whole lot better. I hate having people cricize me unjustly. I'm not a sociopath, but I do have a nasty temper and a decided lack of patience with people who dis me, as people who know personally are aware of. I wasn't trying to be funny or to please anyone, since I no longer try to please anyone on this board. I write what I want to write, plain and simple.

I don't thank people who just mention my name; I thank people who write something considerate, as I often do for others here. I'm not the only one who does this; there are people on this board who have been talking back and forth to each other for a long time.

I don't have any armour; I'm always honest in what I write here. I don't want any attention from you or anyone; it's fine with me if no one here ever responds to another one of my posts. I enjoy reading what others write and I post when I have something to say or some information to share.

You also should keep in mind that we only see a tiny part of those who post here - we all have complex lives out in the real world and what we reveal here isn't enough to give anyone much of a glimpse into our personalities. It's ridiculous to try to judge anyone by what they write here.

I will now go back to writing Dan-related, or at least music-related, posts; unless someone else unfairly criticizes my writing (as opposed to fair criticism, which I take into consideration and then respond to thougtfully), in which case I'll probably deal with them harshly because I think that sort of thing is uncivil and it makes me angry.

Dearest Big Fan,

Laugh all you want dude and dudette! Allow me to cut and paste a quote you made earlier for your own personal memory recollection:

"I only listened to Steely Dan tapes"

Seems to me the keywords here are "only listened to". Still laughing? Still sitting on those CD's?

No big deal if you thought JJ was a one hit wonder, everyone makes mistakes.

Keep slugging down those beers dude, we still love you!

Respectfully,
chicoo of the Chicago chicoos

Was watching VH-1 rockumentary on Grand Funk. What is it with the record business? There's so many horror stories. It seems that business gives people access to totally fuck-over whoever and whenever. I can't believe there aren't more stories paralleling postal employees. If I had a chance to be a rockdude, I want to be a member of Motley Crue. Tour with Ozzy and snort ants from a popsicle stick.

Any news on the Springsteen tour? Yeah, I know this is the Steely Dan page.

Pretty woman walking with gorilla's down my street.

that's all that describes this place in the absence of new music!

Stranger&Stranger

altamira; you are a sociopath. you could care less about the means to get the attention (sympathy) you demand and this gb might as well be the monster-truck page as far as you're concerned. your moral mettle is non-existent and no amount of self-congratulatory social-champion accolades can mask what you are. why are you so ready to "thank" people who do nothing more than mention your name? and like a true sociopath, you erupt into paroxysms when "someone" tells you that your all-mighty armour has been chinked: i.e., you can't see it until "someone else" gives you the attention--and any attention is "good" attention as far as you, or any sociopath, is concerned.

your enablers on this gb are just about spent. if not, i hope this post will wake them up. in the meantime, do us all a favor and quit doing us favors. oh, and just in case this is all a bad joke? congratulations. no one is laughing.

dante thomas

Bones! Scotty! Spock! We're never gonna do it without our phasers!

My local supermarket has a lively repertoire of Dan songs on Muzak (so much for avoiding commercialism). Among my favorite hums there are The Caves of Altamira, Kid Charlemagne and Razor Boy.

Altamira,

Perhaps you haven't explored the rainbow of self-help/self-discovery resources available for all Lesbian Avenger members:

Resource 301-C: How to crack someone's skull open and make it look like a man did it.

Resource 428-L: How to differentiate a man from a woman without relying on stunted female intuition.

Resource 807-B: How to rationalize a soy-bean as a non-living, non-feeling food-source.

Resource 69-96-H: How to laugh at yourself without looking in the mirror.

We Love You Sister,

The President of Lesbians

Sports fan - Thanks! Actually, I feel a bit calmer already now that I've blown off some rage in print. I've watched the NFL only when I've gone to parties to watch our local team play in the Super Bowl, and I've found the game rather confusing and hard to follow, but all the hooplah is kind of interesting from a sociological point of view.

FANOFDAN!! Sounds like your on a winner here!!. Please keep me informed!.........LEW!

Alt: watch those mood swings - you're too nice to fall into their trap. Watch some NFL- that'll calm you down. Put you to sleep more likely.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
I just sat through my first NFL game. Now, I'm not a sports snob -I've watched Cane Toad races.
NFL isn't the worst sport I've seen. It doesn't qualify as a sport. I don't know what to call it.
If you ever wanted to get information from a spy, just make them watch NFL , they'll tell you anything you want if you just turn the damn thing off.
Maybe you should market it as an avant garde production of 'Waiting For Godot'.
I'm absolutely amazed. Why would people pay to see people doing nothing for hours on end? The Time Outs were hilarious. Time Out from what? Standing around doing nothing?
Sorry, I don't mean to dump on Americans. I think basketball is exciting.I think baseball is bearable as is ice hockey but why oh why play a game designed to bog down. Cover the field with peanut butter or something . Better still forget the whole thing.
Sorry again but I feel soooo tired and ten years older after that.

Ole - You know, I barely even noticed the anti-gay content; I vaguely remembered it was something about lesbians being bad parents. What really bothered me was this asshole's comments about my writing. He was targeting some elements in my writing that I have not been happy with and have been working to improve. He seemed to be particularly bothered about a post I wrote last week when I was writing at work really too early in the morning for me to think well that really was a rambling mess, but that was atypical of what I write; I do tend to write shorter, pithier posts. Yes, I know I tend to take back what I wrote earlier that I didn't really mean, but that was largely a result of my writing either late at night or early in the morning when I don't think as well. I now only write when I can think well, and I think about what I write for quite some time before I write it, and I've been thinking about this one for days.

Just who the fuck is this Altitudiana or whatever he was calling himself think he is to be criticizing my writing, my God damned boss? And that caricature he presented didn't sound a damned thing like me! I don't much like children, I'm single (although not for much longer, I hope), and I'd never date someone who fishes - come on, I've been a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for years and I think fishing is cruel - how would you like it if someone stuck a metal hook in your mouth and lifted you up by it? Not only that, but I am not a nice person at all, I'm a crusty, crotchety bitch with radical leftist politics and a lousy temper. Hell, I'm even a member of the Lesbian Avengers, a non-violent organization, for sure, but a great way to blow off this simmering rage, and it keeps me from finding a more violent way to deal with assholes like Altitudiana.

But that doesn't mean I don't think about violence. All day when that hateful post appeared, I fantasized about killing him. I pictured pinning him to the ground and pounding his worthless head on the ground, and when he would beg for mercy, I would say, "So, where's all that love you thought I wanted to share, you worthless sack of shit?" "You think I'm so nice and eager to please, mother fucker?" "I'm pleasing no one but myself, and my greatest desire is to see you die, and this world will be a vastly better place without your sorry self in it." And then as his skull cracked open, I would laugh and laugh as his brain splattered out of his head. I'm not patient with people who dis me, so don't fuck with me, fellas.

About the Ramones "or simply a kick-in-the-head antidote to the slick Steely Dan-style smugness that posed as rock in the early '80s"

I don't think this guy likes Steely Dan. Posed as rock? Blues, jazz, were D&W really rock? What do they know about rock n roll music in Lexington, Kentucky anyway? Horses or basketball maybe, but not rock.

http://www.kentuckyconnect.com:80/heraldleader/news/080699/weekenderdocs/albums06.htm

Ow, my butt hurts sitting here on the 1000 plus CD's we have in the house. And no they're not all SD. Even my wife is still laughing about that comment.

I think Kinky must have boinked Ole at the Danfest! and vice versa

Edd--You took the words right out of my mouth. "Night & Day" is a fiiiine album from beginning to end; I still listen to it off & on--love his Latin thing--"Body & Soul" too. And Mr. Chow, "Cancer" is one of my all time professionally favorite songs.

Mu--Did you get my e or are you full up again? Dig "Jumpin' Jive."

AltI--Ah, another mutual admiration society. It is possible to dis someone whose personality traits irk you without homophobic attacks. But you know that.

Kinky--MWAH! For you, I would come back from the grave. Really, I'm taking good care of the beast. Won't you PLEASE reconsider taking all of 2000 for the pool? Give somebody else a sporting chance?

OMIO--Are you shitting? That's one of the best things yet.

I have Loved Steely Dan Since High School, and have always been amazed that everyone from every country I have played ANYTHING from Steely Dan for has LOVED IT!

Ditto the fantastic engineering on "Body and Soul". The venue was a Masonic Lodge someplace in NYC. B&F would be proud...

Ellen "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" Foley does some guest vocals.

If you're into the neo-swing stuff, you should pick up JJ's Jumpin' Jive from '81 which is a lot more authentic for my $$.

rumor: Joe Jackson evidently was playing "Any Major Dude" at a recent gig at NYC's Bottom Line.

Body and Soul is a magnificent sounding recording...takes were done virtually live in a concert hall setting...great engineering. It might be the best sounding vinyl record I have. Cha Cha Loco also has that Latin beat he used on Cancer. Go For It is a real mover and Be My Number Two is a nice ballad (duet). A MUCH more earnest effort than Look Sharp which is both good and bad. BTW, Ben Folds defintely resembles JJ more than SD.

FanofDan – Thanks for the article on Joe Jackson. Co-incidence or what? I think I remember you showing me “Night and Day” when I last visited. Do you think the Betty Buckley mentioned is the one from “Eight is Enough”? or the Polanski movie “Frantic”? Joe Jackson also included a unique song called “Cancer” on “Night and Day” as in “every thing gives you cancer, there’s no cure, there’s no answer”. Very exotic beat, just like “Haitian Divorce”. I'll be in touch soon. On holidays.

Evelyn - You have far too much time on your hands.

viewed the significance of short person behaviour in pedal-depressed,pan-chromatic resonance and other highly ambient domains...
"arf" she said.

Big Fan, before there was cable TV, internet, CD's and MTV, there was radio, remember that? I had none of the above either, but I do know that Joe Jackson had many hits. A good suggestion would be to diversify your musical tastes.

Lonnie: just watch out for them on the roads at night. You weren't married to Burt Renyolds, by any chance?

Question for anyone out there : What exactly IS a Black Cow?
If you can tell me, I'll buy you one and make yours a double, Sam...

lonnie

Question for anyone out there : What exactly IS a Black Cow?
If you can tell me, I'll buy you one make yours a double, Sam...

lonnie

Too much...rotted, hmm yes that would be a problem.

I only remember Stepping Out from Night and Day which came out about '81. Did he really have that many other top 40 hits in the 80's? The early 80's found me single and living alone in an apartment that had no cable TV, so no MTV, of course no iternet - so I wasn't home too much - and I only listened to Steely Dan tapes (no CD's yet) in the car.

D&W were never at ease with having to produce top 40 singles at the expense of their artistic quality, but did so initially because that was how the bread was buttered so to speak. I guess I found it odd that the Joe Jackson was playing in a pub someplace and was covering Dan songs - something I know I would enjoy seeing/hearing.

Big Fan, It's possible that over indulgence in too many beers has rotted the remainder of your brain cells. How could you make that statement about Joe Jackson being a one hit wonder? Where were you in the 80's? or need I ask?

Big Fan- Joe Jackson one hit wonder? Oh please! I'm with the Edd man. I love Body & Soul, Jumpin Jive is dyno as well. I guess it makes sence that anyone that could go crazy over the Lilly fair wouldn't know much about JJ.

Joe Jackson goes considerably deeper than "One Hit Wonder". He's had a few hits with "Steppin' Out", "Is She Really Going Out With Him", "Look Sharp", and of course "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)"...

I can't think of any album I wouldn't recommend, but I'm very partial to "Body and Soul"...

Fan: Another chronological note: Rick Derringer became 52 years old yesterday; a most excellent age, I should say. Happiest of birthdays to he of Hang On Sloopy, Rock and Roll Hoochie-coo, Show Biz Kids, and Chain Lightning fame.

RS

Big Fan , Sure seems like the same Joe Jackson....the song was "Steppin' Out" David

Since the board has been declared dead, thought I might pass along an anniversary that went by this week, on August 3, 1974, guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and drummer Jim Hodder quit Steely Dan. Baxter went on to join the Doobie Brothers.

Does anyone know if this is the same Joe Jackson that had a one hit wonder in the late 70's? What was it "Into the Night" Night and Day album? I liked the song at the time, I'm sure I've got the LP, but nothing to play it on.
http://www.nypostonline.com:80/080699/entertainment/12121.htm

Dear Son,

Go ahead and cavort with your cyber-friends any damn time you want but your dad and I have a big, red, grease-pencil-circle around 2/10/99 which was the last time I did your laundry. Just how long are you going to abuse your family priviledges and spend your trust money like Lord Byron at a Crack Bazaar?

Dr. Ferrantino is still charging us his regular fee because he swears he's channeling you. Is this true? Have you really been surveying Cuzco for viable landing sites or is he just milking our sense of loss? We'd much rather see you in person than rely on his word. It's not just the money. Well, ok, it's mostly the money but your father said that before I thought of it. Anyway, I miss washing your underoos and the lawn needs mowing...

Yes, We Still Have Your Asthma Pills,

Mom

Kinky,

Did you remember my Cheese-Whiz, boy?

Oleander,

Dittos.

Damn, there was a typo in that last post, and I tried to cancel it before it went to the guest book - I meant "care about us the least." I guess it was apparent from the context; I just don't like to post something with a mistake in it.

Midnite Cruiser - So I guess there aren't as many Dan fans in North Carolina as we thought there were. Oh, well, no one, not even D&W, can expect complete success everywhere.

Sign in Stranger and Kinky - So what wonderfully exciting messages have you posted lately?

Schwinn - I have written down the title of that Vonnegut book you mentioned; I will look for it.

Roy Scam - "Glengarry Glen Ross" sounds great; I'll rent it once I buy a VCR, which I'm planning to do soon.

Andrew - I loved your line about trying the hardest to impress those who care about the least; good thing to keep in mind.

the Steely Dan Art Crimes tour date in Raliegh, NC did NOT sell out on the last tour for whoever was asking about which shows sold out on the last tour.

Clas....long time no speak....did you get the heart rate under control? what's the word there?

SKY UPDATE: for anyone interested in watching a great free show next week here's a link with information about the Perseid Meteor shower that peaks a week from tonight....hope you get a chance to enjoy!

http://www.kalmbach.com:80/astro/skyevents/current/skyevents.html

off to visit the in-laws....see y'all in a few days!

MC

you right Kinky.

Now let's see, what set of people dominate the discussion here ?

Kinky, do you really own a Ferrari ?

what model, how exciting.

Stranger and Stranger

jk: Join the crowd. By all accounts Hynde is a Class A bitch. I knew a woman who managed some concert venue in the Philadelphia area for a couple of years. I asked her once for any horror stories of obnoxious musicians. She said all were actually quite nice except for Hynde. "A walking and talking cunt" is the quote I remember

No, no. You have it all wrong. I'm not dead, this board is.

April 2000? Yeah, that was my guess, just ask Oleander. Then again, I might have to add a year or two... they're not going to release an album until they make the Hall of Fame.

Also attended lilith. had a great time. However i went to a great deal of trouble to get there to support the cause and I, as a worthleess piece of skin, get dissed by crissy hynde. Fuck you chriissy.

Also. If you gals want to use the men's room feel freee. Most men don't even want to go there. yuck

jk

Just lurking for an update on the "New One" It should be just about any month now right??
Messenger: you were just bullshiting' right. Because I don't mind getting free tickets but I just don't want to wait forever for that to happen.

Well.. Thanks y'all! But since I was Navy amphib (rivers & coastline) I missed most of the worst.. & am glad for that..
Ole: Cripes, if you see anything of value in that diatribe, you can put those words wherever you think they'd do any good..
April release date in order to coincide with a summer tour?
News Flash for D&W: If you guys think holding out a few extra months on the release date is going to enhance your live tour, Fergit It! You'd sell out every venue without releasing a damn thing.. so C'mon With It, willya? (grovel, beg, whine..)
Can somebody tell me how many SD shows WEREN'T all sold out on the last tour?

Big Fan: I love the way Chrissy sings. Love to see her in person. Don't know if I'd brave a Lilleth Faire, though. I prefer a more balanced atmosphere.

I had a dream last night that rivals your experience. I was in a public restroom, sitting on the john minding my own business, when the walls disappeared one by one. I tried to play it cool, in spite of those gawkers...

Do you think Don & Walt could find a place for Chrissy in one or two of their new songs? A woman's touch can be a good thing.

That reminds me, there's a song that The Babys did a while back called A Woman's Touch. It's one of the top 3 sexiest songs I know.

Clas: where are you, my gunga hummer?

rb

Special--you got that right.

Cruise--Jeez, what did I say about pouting? It just happened that on extremely short notice a few of us happened to be in the same area at the same time. Whaddaya want, ESP? Previous DanFests have been known for their meticulous advance planning and inclusivity. Feel free to schedule your own.

Altidude--How can you be so funny sometimes and then so full of shit?

...it's a great disc though.

The new release is just about finished (it's being tweaked), but look for an ~April '00 release date, as this will fit in nicely with a Summer tour. Sorry....

I desperately need to contact Daniel Lazerus, engineer on an urgent personal matter. Anyone know where he is?
Maybe pass my email adress on to him.
Thanks.

Colin

John Henry, early next year you say????!!!!

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS SIGNIFICANT NON STEELY DAN RELATED CONTENT

Got back from Lilith Fair late last night - after a dozen beers and one of those frozen strawberry things my head feels like a pumpkin on November 1.

Chrissie Hynde stole the show - she looks great and played even better. Old Marshall amps and a large pearl metalflake fender with a chrome pick guard. Those of you from Cleveland to Columbus would have loved "I went back to Ohio..." (How long will John Cooper keep his job if he starts loosing this year?) A simple no nonsense performance. She told a great male bashing joke - What's the name of that useless piece of skin attached to the end of a penis?

Sheryl Crow has become a lot more high maintenance since 1994. Her jeans cost more than all of the equipment she used the first time I saw her. She had a hard time following The Pretenders but did a good job. Short hair, no accordion, no beer drinking on stage - oh well.

Had to use the restrooms more than once. The first time a young lady came running in shouting It's not fair! It's not fair! and used a stall. The guys were boisterous but polite. Later in the evening I had to go again (and again) and there were lines at both the men's and women's rooms, but I noticed there were more women than men in the line for the men's room. So I headed (no pun) to the ones outside - sure enough another line of women from the men's room. I've been to many large (100,000+) sporting events and countless concerts and bars where the rest room facilities were inadequate for both sexes, esp. the women. In all honesty, the lines here for the women's room weren't that bad in comparision, however I got the impression that now it was sort of a power thing. Now, I suffer from Howard Stern syndrome and perhaps that is a good thing because some of these women in the men's room had that same look that a trophy hunter has when he sees that big buck, and I didn't want to end up as some trophy on somebody's wall - "Look what I got at Lilith Fair" I know in Europe that this is a common thing (but do they have the big communal urinals there?) but I had to think of running water just to go with all of these women standing next to me.

I am now primed to see Steely Dan in concert. I'll get my fourth week of vacation next year and if I buy one I'll have five weeks. I could possibly like go on a mini tour following the band around the country - well maybe I'm not that nuts yet , but I may try to catch three or four shows.

The answer: A man

Only 23 more days till the Big Cat fight in Happy Valley. God I love the fall!

TT

Sign In Stranger- No, no. You have it all wrong. Kinky never existed in the first place. He's a manifestation of our collective yearnings (not to imply each of us needs/wants him for for the same reason. He has a universal, one-size-fits-all kinda quality).

Hi everybody, just noticed that Reprise Recprds has added Steely Dan to the "to be scheduled for release" section of their newreleases page. It's starting to sound like early 2000 now isn;t it?

I thought Kinky was dead ?

Hi. I wrote the previous post not with anyone specific in mind.I just wanted to show my range.

No.Fuck YOU!

In loose reference to Home at Last, I would recommend you read "Galapagos" by Kurt Vonnegut. Oh, and the Odyssey, too. But Galapagos is more knee-slappin' funny. Plus, everyone who's about to die in Galapagos gets a (*) by their name to prepare you for the inevitable. Still, it is a shock when, and how, they go...

Also, there is a device called "Gokubi" in Vonnegut's book which is now on the market. It translates the human voice into five different languages. Pocket-sized. Just move the dial to "personal hygiene", say, "I need to wee-wee", and Gokubi translates the English into Japanese, the French into English, etc. NPR's "All Things Considered" previewed it a couple of weeks ago and though it is a bit slow, it is quite impressive. Much more civilized than holding your knees together while pointing at your crotch. I suggest those of you with money invested in Berlitz look for some other place to put it. The Nature Cruise of the Century is filling up fast and you don't want to be last on the mast.

Moving Through Space With Minimum Waste,

SEMB

Attendance at Dan Fests, Mini or otherwise, would probably be much larger if the site was revealed more than 24 hours before hand.

Unless, of course, the aim is to be exclusive, not inclusive

Alt: I believe the movie "Glengary Glenn Ross" had Jack Lemmon, a Donald Fagen song, and enough irony and cynicism for three "Royal Scam"s and two "Save the Tiger"s.

OMIO: Great words about Home At Last. Beautifully put and painful. You put a new perspective on a song that I already loved and made me like it even more.

I just taped the entire body of work of the old Ben Stiller Show. They did great satirical takes on the Doors, Nirvana, the Monkees, Metallica, and U2. So far I haven't found any Steely Dan put-ons but I haven't seen the entire six and a half hours yet.

I also sincerely wish Steely Dan a large enough hit in the upcoming CD that Wierd Al might turn his satirical barb their way. This isn't a life changing wish or anything; I mean, I wouldn't want God to prioritize it at the expense of my more humanitarian, less superficial prayers and wishes. But still, it would be fun; I'd be willing to use up a third-class, group-rate, complementary wish on it.

RS

Andrew - I've admired Jack Lemmon for years and I think he'd be great in the film.

Big Fan - I wish I could have been there; I used to really like George Thoroughgood. I never much cared for Steve Miller, though; his music kind of all sounded alike. I can see where he'd be comfortable playing a sampled version of one of his songs.

Joey - This is discouraging news. Steely Dan is way to good to have their music featured in a movie by those crass fools. At least the movie that used the Michael McDonald song was a clever satire.

Omio - Marvelous post. You and the other veterans gave your best for your country and have received shameful treatment in return - just shows how fucked up this country is. There is no justice. Some people appreciate what you did, however.

KD - As to Becker and Fagen revealing more on their solo albums than they did together, apparently they do this in interviews as well. When each one is being interviewed alone, he tends to be quite cooperative and give detailed answers to the questions, but when they are interviewed together, they get playful and start giving sort of fanciful answers to the questions. Maybe it's the synergy they have together, or maybe it's just a "guy" thing.

I would prefer fewer, longer songs. This gives them a chance to introduce the material and then develop it some. I love On the Dunes, and I'd be pleased if a song on the new one sounds like it.

Mr Chow: you're right -without having seen Steve Martin's film, I think Jack Lemon would be hard to beat. It's good to bring something to a new audience but it also leaves you open to comparison.
Joey: No offence but would SD have to give permission for their music to be used in that load of rubbish? I guess if you feed people garbage for long enough they get used to the taste.
I wonder if there's some connection between advances in technology ,ageing of the population and the decline of Hollywood.
When Jim Morrison sang 'we want the world and we want it NOW' I don't think he could have concieved of the Farrelly brothers and their ilk. I love the irony though.
Vietnam: I'm too young but come from a family with a long military history. I've seen 'Jacob's Ladder' quite a few times. I feel for you.
Maybe John Lennon's dream will come true and there'll be no more wars when we're all working for McDonalds.

OMIO--You are the dude. Thanks for those strong and fine words. I'm with Mu; I'm first of all glad you are a survivor, and second that you did what you had to do. I was a radical war-hater--as opposed to soldier-hater, though many did not make that distinction--and have friends who went. It was a terrible time in which one couldn't close one's eyes, and sure changed the hell out of me. If you want to talk more about it so would I. May I put your words on the lyric page?

Dan moment at the House that Ruth Built last night...
D'ja ever notice how good Fagen sounds coming out of the speakers in center field at Yankee Stadium? Listened to Peg full blast while buying brews before the game last night. It's funny how everything stops when an SD song plays when you least expect it. Or is it just me? Hmmmm...

Witchy- Sho nuff glad to see you roun' heah agin girlie!

Hello one and all …

Classic tracks indeed:
http://news.excite.com/news/pr/990803/ca-mca-records-sound

Yes, I suppose we are all becoming classics in one way or the other. I must admit to looking at a 72 Olds Cutlass convertible with a 455 that is for sale on ebay with fond memories and trying to justify how I could own such a thing.

Steve Miller and George Thorogood put on a great show last week. We had great seats - 10th row right of center - seats you would kill for for SD. These guys just play the old hits - it's great - everyone knows the lyrics and when they stop playing the crowd just keeps on singing. I had kind of forgotten that Steve Miller had had Fly Like An Eagle made into a rap version, until the keyboardist broke into it. The following boos indicated that the 40 something crowd wasn't into it. From where I was sitting, you could see Steve smile a little and turn away. Can you imagine if D & W ever broke into the sampled versions of some of their songs; it might make Woodstock 99 look like a Girl Scout cookout.

Tonight is Lilith Fair here in Hartford, after Mansfield, MA last night - they are following the same trail SD did in 96. We have seats in the shed , but just barely - row BBB, seat 617 or something - lol. At least we're not on the lawn - if you can call it that. The lawn looks more like that hill you see from Sun Devils Stadium with the desert look and the dry dusty color.

At least we're seeing some live music. Keep the faith.
PS
Face Value Ticket prices:
GT & SM: $42.50 Gold Circle, $20.50 lawn each
Lilith: $62.50 Gold Circle, $30.50 for lawn each
Parking included

Since face value of my tickets for SD from 96 were above the $40 mark, I figure SD will top that $60 each when they tour again.

OMIO: Thank you for your service to our country. I mean that. I think your words on survival and perspective on living and social thought are as close as we could possibly come to understanding what you've been through. As I was very young during 'Nam era all I REALLY know (at least 'til now) was filtered through those nightly broadcasts, documentaries, movies,and general psychobabble about the war...and unlike the vets of WWII or even the Korean War, there were not open arms as the country wallowed in self-pity and absorption as the young danced to the lyrics of CCR's Fortunate Son without understanding a word. The military strategy and execution were problematic as the war was fought ad lib it seemed. But what do I know or will ever know? - just wanted *you* to know that some of us do give a rat's ass about what you sacrificed (maybe more than you think).

I just wanted to let you know that the new Farrelly brothers (There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin, Dumb and Dumber) movie “Outside Providence”will be out September 3. The soundtrack will be in stores August 24, and contains hits from The Who, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, Yes and Lynyrd Skynyrd. If anyone is interested in helping spread the word about “Outside Providence” please e-mail me at
joey@m80im.com

Ole: I wouldn't presume to talk about vet issues if I weren't..
HAL is not a great Nam song.. It's a great Vet song.. Big difference..
Almost every vet that knows the song agrees about the uncanny similarity to Vet Reality.. From the tempo (slow, but relentless), the little minor tricks in the chord structures, and especially the words.. Look at the song through a vets eyes..
We "Returned".. We did not "Come Home".. Leaving millions of men & women wandering an Alien Nation which blames the failings of a political policy on those who were forced into putting that policy into action.. Because America has to believe it is Powerful, yet Innocent.. and has to blame somebody for it's own lies & self-deceptions. So we get The Cross to bear.. Which is good because we can handle it, while Bill & Hillary & Newt & Rush & Oprah & Rikki & Montel & Dan Blather & all those Innocent Americans cannot.
So, the sense of that Quite Familiar Superhighway is somewhat Estranged.. On This Peaceful Shore.. You think you've been there once before..
The Danger of our Rocks has surly passed, yet we remain tied to the mast.. ("Why Can't You Just Get Over It"?)..
I guess that I'm the Lucky One.. Because so many really good people weren't that lucky.. ("Survivor Guilt")
She keeps me Safe & Warm.. It's just the calm before The Storm..
No matter how much they try to love you, your own personal set of Demons will eventually pop up to fuck with you.. Again..
I guess I'll try my luck again.. (Just keep living...)
It's a song of Survival.. Trying to overcome what can never be finally put to rest.. You just learn how to wage war against the Demons that wage a war against you.. Of Grit & Guts in the face of Soul-Destroying forces that you never called up in the first place.. But somehow, you keep going.. And wonder at the bottomless pit of Stupidity that is the American Consciousness..
Can It Be That I Have Found My Home At Last?
If ya gotta ask, then Probably Not...
So, what do YOU think it means? I'll just set back & watch the homo-phobes pick on Alt.. Sort of like mud wrestling at The Dew Drop Inn.. Somebody's got an IQ like the top speed of a tricycle.
I'd like to say it's fun to watch.. But it isn't..
"It Don't Mean Nothin'.."
Pass the banjo.. Please..

Barry Gibb - Regarding whether people who quantify art have any of their own, consider musicians who give master classes. These people know a great deal about their form of art not only from having studied it but also from having performed it for years. This deeper knowledge enables them to teach others, but during the actual class, the advice given to the students can be quite technical.

OTOH, certainly one can analyze art a great deal without being able to produce any. I don't consider myself a good musician; when I sang, I was a competent singer who could read music well and sing all the right notes, but I was merely average; that's the main reason I stopped - I can't stand doing something in a mediocre manner. However, I do know something about the technical aspects of vocal production from taking voice lessons and singing with good directors, and that is what I was discussing - technique and art are not the same thing.

Barry Gibb - I don't sing anymore, I had mentioned that a while back. That's partly because I don't hear or match pitch as well as I used to. And I'm not that fond of counter tenors, I greatly prefer baritones.

Ok, from now on, I won't indicate that I'll be writing later about something I don't have time address right now. Does that make you happy? Well, frankly, I don't give a flying fuck if it does, how do you feel about that? You know, I don't care about that either. My place on the list is not to make immature, clueless losers happy, it's to conduct intelligent conversations with people who enjoy that sort of thing. If you don't like what I write, you can just shove it up your ass. And my eight cats agree with me!

clas: out of the freezer; will live an extra month, perhaps; concentrate on conserving heartbeats; read very slowly; you could do the same; stop the sternum agony madness; nicotine patches are miraculous

oleander: Chapel Hill Dan Fest and I missed it? Uggh. If you held any portion of it at He's Not Here, then I'm sure it was a success. I have read two David Foster Wallace works -- A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again (essays, et cetera)& Broom of the System -- and I plan to read Infinite Jest during my vacation, which I will be taking in a couple of weeks. Is your current education program designed to help you cope in a managed health care world? If so, I'm sure you're not alone. We'll e-mail when I finish Infinite Jest, if you are still reeling at that time (zeldab@angelfire.com).

Hi everybody. I've read every book in the world and because I was once a librarian at the Library of Congress I can say this with all certainty: Shhhh.

You know, there's this really cute little boy born in Portugal that my life-partner and I would like to adopt. What's wrong with that? Fathers just abandon their kids anyway. It's all over the news and in the books! We have stability and lots of arty friends who are bound to influence our child in the right way. You see, we have this need for procreation that won't be satisfied until we adopt a little boy. Isn't that natural? I thought so. Thank Goodness. I have so much music in me. So much that I want to share. And he will have more God parents than he can count!

You know, I ran out of church one day when I was 14. Ran out and never looked back because I understood who I was. Then I met Billi and I never had to think again. But I want a son. Someone to prove to the world that I am what I am not. Someone to carry the seed of the fruitless. Doesn't that make sense? We would both make excellent mothers. And Billi likes drag racing and can thread a worm on a hook--while I am an expert at needlepoint.

Ok, I'm rambling. I'll relate all this better tomorrow. I promise. I'll be here for you. Really. You can count on that. I'm not kidding and I hope you haven't taken this the wrong way. OK? Ok. I'll think this over and be back in a flash. Really. Just a minute longer. Are you mis-construing? Don't, please. I'm going to sleep now--with my life partner--dreaming of all those dead-beat dads in Portugal...but I'll be back. Don't you worry. Really. Ok. See you soon. Real soon. You get it, right? I couldn't sleep if I thought you didn't get it. Ok then. See you tomorrow. I promise. Really. Ok? Really? All right then.

Be Back Real Soon,

Alta

(Really. I'm not kidding. I've thought about it and I'm sure.)

Oleander: By now you know that's a MONOMER. Also, it's Nye, not Nigh. Sigh. Giggle. Sneak-a-Peek. Hey, hold this match while I spray some AquaNet...

Alta and Bill: You couldn't hit a note if it was sucking blood out of your little finger. You'd just stand there and throw out verbosities until you both melted like the Wicked Witch of the East. Counter Tenor? It's my experience that people who attempt to quantify art have absolutely none of their own. Just flat little zirconias on the fringe of a gem. Dive deeper. Don't hold your breath.

MAKE-UP!

Yea, you know it. Now pluck my eye-lashes and put on some Dan...

Barry

Andrew - There's a bit of a Jack Lemmon fest going on here at the moment. I'm taping the movies each day and intend to watch them all back whenever I get a holiday. However, I did get to see "The Apartment" yesterday. What a great movie. Jack Lemmon has always been a favourite actor of mine. He really has acting "class" - pardon the pun- and he is usually doing all the work himself, unaided by other comic actors (even in "The Odd Couple", he performs some great work while he's on screen alone). I think you're right about remakes. I haven't seen the new one although its still on the screens as I write. If you haven't seen "Avanti!", try that next.

That bright light in the WSW is Venus.

Did you realize you were a CHAMPION in their eyes?

Tell it to the French.

algore

Bill,

Please tell me more about the Rhyneberg (sp) electron and why you're still on earth when you should be bouncing around the rim of a cryostat? Aren't you stardust? Aren't you golden? Then get the hell back to the garden, brother (sister).

Buckyball My Ass. Gimme some Beryl.

Handy Andy

On hearing that Steve Martin has remade 'The Out of Towners', I decided to rent the original and ended up with 'The Apartment' as well.
Now I don't like remakes but couldn't help thinking the latter would be a perfect vehicle to get the cast of 'Seinfield' back together.
George would be perfect for Jack Lemmon's character as would Jerry for Fred Macmurray. George's parents could be the neighbours,Elaine =Shirley McLaine and so on down the line even to Neuman as Santa Claus.
To me the movie still rings true. We try hardest to impress those who care least about us.

Bobby,
That's why your promising career in chemical engineering was cut short. It's the MONOMERS that are highly reactive and can easily be made to cross-link in the blink of an orbital!

Bill Nye,

Did you just explain something or did you drink a quart of Rhythmeen?

Uh how, how, how,

BS

Roy,

Two weeks ago I saw an absolutely hilarious skit on Conan O'Bryan featuring Mr. Wango Tango himself, Ted Nugent.

Which just goes to show you, a celebrity may disappear from sight but that doesn't mean a thing when you're bow-hunting in Michigan. When you're glued to E, Hard Copy, Talk Soup, The Daily Show, etc., it's easy to think your heroes are letting you down if they're not feeling-up Jennifer Lopez. What they're really doing is imagining you in a day-glo vest and determining the best way to bring you down.

TNO will be out quicker than you think...

Prince "Just Got My License" Harry

Mr. Scam, Pearl, and Altamira: Hey! Let me elaborate on pitch and resonance. The air is forced through the larynx by the expiratory muscles like the abdominals and intercostals and past the vocal cords in sort of like a small tube called the larynx with two thick rubber bands stretched side by side. As the air whistles past, it vibrates through the slit-like opening between the two vocal cords. This sets up an air vibration or a SOUND. This vibration may then reverberate throughout the respiratory system. Some parts of the respiratory system then may start to vibrate themselves creating a "resonance." This "resonance" has to do with frequency of the pitch, the stiffness of the material, the width and thickness of the tube or container the sound is reverberating through, and the complex geometry creating turbulence, "leaks," etc.

All materials have the ability to 'resonate" or vibrate when struck mechanically or in response to sound. They tend to want to vibrate like a spring at a certain frequency called a "resonance frequency." Essentially the stiffer the material, the higher the resnonance frequency...and the softer or more pliable the material the lower the resonance frequency. Take this condom for instance...No, no, not literally - jeez do ya think this is some kind of Department of Education funded Health Education class - fer Chrissakes? I'm gonna lose my National Science Foundation grant and I only brought one extra for...oh, sorry. Anyway, as I stretch this condom and pluck it with my finger the result is a low thud sound. The material is fairly soft and therefore vibrates at a low frequency. If I stretch the condom a bit more it stiffens up and makes a higher pitched sound when I pluck it. Think about something that's real stiff like this golf ball. Its center is wound *real* tight. So when I drop it on a tile floor it makes this real high pitched sound like that of the chinging cash register in Tiger Wood's bank for some "night golf"! So again stiff materials want to vibrate or resonate at a high frequency. Let me plug in this sex toy and show you...oh wait, that's for my new after hours show: Bill Nye - The Cool Tool Guy.

Let's look at the respiratory system. The ribs themselves are thin and have some cartilage connecting with the sternum and in various places throughout the ribcage. Cartilage is soft and the geometry of the ribs allow some flexing so the sounds that "resonate" here are at lower frequencies. The upper airways are stiffer cartilage and resonanate at a higher frequency. The bones of the skull such as the nasal cavity and the hard palate are stiffer still and resonate at an even higher frequency!

As a singer learns control they can make the larynx or "voice box" more or less narrow which also controls the resonance frequncy of this area some. Take 2 PVC pipes here one 1 inch in diameter and the other 2 inch in diameter. They're made of the same material, but if you blow across them real hard in the right way, you can make them "whistle." The 1 inch diamter tube will whistle or resonate at a higher pitch or frequency than the 2 inch diameter tube!

Size matters!! Yes, the size of the chamber makes a difference in the resonance frequency also. Here I've got 6 antique brown glass bottles each filled with a different level of a fluid...and these bottles have a history lesson on each label - look kids, Samuel Adams!...Hey, give that back. I'm doing a show! What are you doing???! ...Yikes! Yes, I know it's the same color... Hey, Cindy we've got to stop these tours during the show!

Oh, where was I? Oh, yeah...As I was saying I've got 5 antique brown bottles each filled with a different level of a fluid. If I blow across the top of each I get a different sound caused by a different resonance! Listen, I'll play "On Top of Old Smokey" now for you. That's why Donald Fagen and Barbra Streisand will never get nose jobs! Well, that's all kids! I'm off to dry clean my lab coat. Can't get wardrobe...mumble mumble.....

Gay Al - Hey, I remember you from South Park! Did you get to meet Michael McDonald when he sang "Eyes of a Child" for the soundtrack? The critic who wrote the review I read said that he was "overly sincere" - I guess those who think that Fagen is "just acting" would enjoy McDonald's performance ;^).

Stranger, Roy Scam, and KD - Good, thought-provoking posts - I'll get back to you tomorrow; it will give me something to keep me awake at work!

Aja is sparse, lyrically, but that doesn't it isn't any more or less potent lyrically then anything they've ever done. You allow room to breathe within the words and good things happen, and the same happens musically. The whole spaces between the art and music thing, gestalt thing, whatever. It works, otherwise we wouldn't be here.

And it's fun that both Becker and Fagen reveal more about themselves on the three solo albums then they did on any of the SD stuff combined. And when the next album comes out they'll be back again with the inpenetrable stuff. Which says quite a lot about their friendship, and how much guys like sharing things with each other. That's why I write about basketball.

Maybe the songwriting process is a bit of a competition, them at a table trying to be as vague and as discursive as possible, at the same time. Write the biggest story they can and share as little of it as possible, and damn writing about their parents. 'Kamakiriad' tells as much as you could want about a story in a concept-album form, right down to brewing decaf and names of the towns, rides, etc. But you still need to listen over and over, and I'm sure by my thousandth listen I'll still be seeing and hearing new stuff. Such is the way with the best music.

I wish we could HTML tag, I miss my italics.

Oleander: like your site doesn't rock the biggest rock of them all?!? I love OnHoops, but your's is the place to be once you've gone through WB's di-o-tribes.

Here's a question: what would you guys like for the new album?: 12-13 songs of shorter length, like Pretzel Logic, or a 7-8 song album with longer songs? Not to say, what's better, PL or Aja, but do you like the 'On the Dunes' stuff?

I'm not much for the longer rock stuff, but they know how to give you a seven minute song that has you feel each moment as something new, unaware of time or anything else.

So that's where that scar came from.

Donald Fagen sings; Jennifer Lopez acts. The consequences of non-judicious crossing of that line can range from massively unentertaining to career ending. The separation should be as carefully mantained as church/state. [See old Miami Vice reruns for the acting careers of Ted Nugent, Glenn Frey, and Phil Collins.]

Alt, Bill Nye: Given the physics of falsetto as described herein, what has kept Frankie Valli's head from sonically imploding half way thru "Walk Like a Man"?
Point#2: A cursory glance at VH-1, MTV, BET, and CMT will show you that the singers with the best abdominals (and diaphragms) tend to have high voices. Please explain.

Clas: Thanks for asking. I'm trying to emulate my heroes by experiencing a multi-year writer's block.

RS

Altimira- Our gay/lesbian paper is called "The Daily Muncher". I think they got it from... "Carpet Muncher"

Dear ____________,

I regret to inform you that you have been eliminated from further contention as Mr. Right. As you are probably aware, the competition was exceedingly tough and dozens of qualified candidates such as yourself failed to make the final cut. I will, however, keep you name on file should an opening come available. So that you may find better success in your future romantic endeavors, please allow me to offer the following reason(s) you were disqualified from the competition:

(Check all those that apply)

__Your last name is objectionable. I can't imagine taking it, hyphenating it, or subjecting my children to it.

__Your first name is objectionable. It's just not something I can picture myself yelling out in a fit of passion.

__The fact that our first dining experience left MY wallet a little lighter, and YOUR pants a little tighter!

__Your inadvertent admission that you "buy condoms by the truckload" indicates that you may be interested in me for something other than my personality.

__You failed the 20 Questions Rule, i.e., I asked you 20 questions about yourself before you asked me more than one about myself.

__You legs are skinnier than mine. If you can FIT into my pants, then you can't GET into my pants.

__You're too short. Any son that we produced would inevitably be beaten up repeatedly at recess.

__You're too tall. I'm developing a chronic neck condition from trying to kiss you.

__You have a hairy back.

__I find your inability to fix my car extraordinarily unappealing.

__The fact that your apartment has been condemned reveals an inherent slovenliness that I fear is unbreakable.

__The phrase "My Mother" has popped up far too often in conversation.

__You still live with your parents.

__Although I do enjoy the X-Files, I find your wardrobe of Star Trek uniforms a little disconcerting.

__Your frequent references to your ex-girlfriend lead me to suspect that you are some sort of psychotic stalker.

__Your ability to belch the alphabet is not a trait that I am seeking in a long term partner.

__Your height is out of proportion to your weight. If you should, happen to gain the necessary 17 vertical inches, please resubmit your application.

__Somehow I doubt those condoms that I found in your overnight bag were really necessary for a successful business trip.

__I am out of your league; set your sights lower next time.

Thank you for your time and I wish you all the success in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Oleander - It all sounds delightful; I wish I could have been there. I hope we can have a bigger East Coast Danfest sometime soon.

Pearl - Is this really how counter tenors produce their sound? One can resonate in the hard palate and the nose and not be singing in the falsetto (counter tenor) voice, many tenors and sopranos sing this way and still sing in their real voice (of course, sopranos couldn't sing falsetto anyway, apparently it's something only men can do). I'm still curious about the mechanics of counter-tenor singing; one of these days I'll get up the nerve to ask one of the counter tenors I know just how they produce that sound.

And why would you you want surgery to fix it, if it makes a good sound?

Earthbound - Hey, you're the same age I am.

Andrew - Yes, Royal Scam has such wonderfully rich characters. Still, there are some good lyrics on Aja, but not the intriguing characters. I'll have to check out the Browning poems you mentioned; I'm especially curious since I have long had a strong interest in the 19th century.

KD - Wonderful post! You have some great insights; I look forward to reading more of your posts. Regarding B&F not revealing much of themselves in their songs, compare The Nightfly to an essay that Fagen wrote for Premiere magazine (http://pages.prodigy.com/steelydan/3mancini.htm). The album and the article both cover similar autobiographical territory, but while the album doesn't say all that much about the narrator and, presumably, the author (well, one can ascertain a bit about the narrator, but it's not especially revelatory), the article reveals a great deal about Fagen's childhood and how he felt about it. He's not afraid to reveal himself, he's just not that inclined to do it in his songs (although I think he does a bit more on Kamakiriad; he might have just been at a different stage of his life at that point).

The Stranger - Bill Nye has covered this well, but with a slightly different conclusion - I was refering to where Fagen resonates his voice, which I don't think has that much to do with breathing but is more determined by where the sound is placed after the air leaves the diaphragm (or, perhaps more accurately, the lungs).

To be or not to be - Brilliant post; you gave me something to think about at work today!

Hank Silvers - Good points. Thanks for the comment.

Big Fan - We have a paper here called the Blade; well, it's the local gay and lesbian paper, so I guess the name came from "gay blade," but its logo is the point of a fountain pen, which is sort of blade-shaped - maybe there's a connection to the saying, "The pen is mightier than the sword"?

Dumplings redux - I read in the Washington Post today that rice dumplings, called "dangos," are really popular in Japan right now due to a cartoon about the dumplings that features a catchy song. In addition to eating the dumplings, people also can buy dumpling-themed stuffed toys and even cell-phone cases (for more details, see http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/2126/dango/dumplings.html). Hmmm, there's an idea for the next SD tour - if they perform Glamour Profession on the tour, they can come up with all sorts of creative things involving Szechuan dumplings.

Um, does it count as double posting if you say something different? Or is it just annoying?

Dateline Chapel Hill, where I'm trying to pass as 1) an MBA student, 2) a Dean Smith idolator, and 3) awake. I'm not sure which is the worst attempt at a disguise.

f#maj--I love it when you riff. There's a difference between "show" and "portray." The former implies that there is something inside that you feel and project, the latter that you're acting. Caricature is exaggeration, but can be a disguise for emotion--just because you make fun or distort something doesn't mean you don't have deep emotions about it--in fact, maybe that cover/ persona Lizzy noted makes it easier to express emotions because it's indirect. And because, since it's exaggerated, it can heighten the expression of emotion.

Bill Nigh--C'mere and let me rub summa those polycarbons into your hair. That was really good.

Andrew--Cool words about "My Rival." If you really are as far away as possible, you must be full fathom five. Where are you? If you're on Tonga, can I come there for DanFest? I don't think of "Aja" as more limited lyrically but as more distilled.

OMIO--are you a vet? Tell me more about why HAL is such a Nam song.

Roobay--Great about being captive to our identities. oleander sure is me (I), but in a whole nother reality. And multiple bogus personae are OK with me, since they're just trying on or expressing other facets.... Just like singers of songs.

Ebound--I'm serving notice right here and now that no matter how old I am, I REFUSE TO DIE UNTIL AFTER THE NEW ONE COMES OUT.

KD--Glad you're here. Your webpage is cool too.

Clas--Unless you're looking at my picture, I'm very worried about your heart rate. BTW, Roy.Scam is fine and babeulicious as ever.

Alta--cool about Mr. Fagen's voice, and fascinating about producing sound in general. I don't think though that he's better than Mr. B in character development. I suspect that much of the material about down-and-out people and slice-of-life vignettes comes from Mr. B. Based on nothing.

Jenseits--You wouldn't get close enough to respect me in the morning, baby. Unseemlier than what? I thought I was doing first the good news. Anyway, I always lick off the sugar coating.

Just finished rereading sweets book - great read. What's his email address?

UPDATE FROM THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA AND DANFEST MONITORING CENTER:
The Triangle DanFest has been downgraded to MiniDanFest. You may all leave your shelters. Bring the Ambush up with ya.

First off, may I assure you that Kinky's Ferrari still runs like a hungry cheetah.

As usual, a decrement in numbers was not consistent with a decrement in wild craziness and strutting brainpower. The inimitable lisa yet again dazzled as organizational maven. She also perpetuated the Santeria tradition and reminded us all of Mia Farrow with that thing she did with the chicken livers. She and your humble correspondent set the place on fire with a mano a mano gossipfest. I can't think of a single nick out there we didn't equally-opportunity dish. The only things that kept us from vaporizing were 1) Mama Dip's peach cobbler and 2) the Mystery Drummer and his soothing mojo.

UPDATE FROM THE MARTHA STEWART PROGRESSIVE DANFEST CENTER:

YHC knows that the flame must be carried, and the kows must be towed. Therefore will I genuflect at the Jokerian altar tomorrow night. Until then--

Skywatch: Next week the Perseid Meteor shower will peak on the night of August 12th into the morning of the 13th. It's one day past a new moon so if skies are clear wherever you live you may be able to see up to 100 meteors per hour. If you're interested be sure to get out there and just look up and enjoy the show!

Any new word on the November release date of Two Against Nature?

Earthbound - Two minutes on the scene and your promoting ignorance in others? Come on, Fagen & Becker were making music before I was born as well. Who knows, some of us might go well before our time.

KD - You must have been one cool baby.

That bright light in the WSW right at sundown is Venus.

Tomorrow on the EIB:

*Rush will say, "With talent on loan from God".

*Rush will say, "With half of my brain tied behind my back just to make it fair."

*Rush will say, "Having more fun than humans should possibly be allowed to have."

*Rush will play the opening strains to "My City Was Gone" by the Pretenders as an intro to his witticisms.

*Rush will talk about how happy he was the big tent was air-conditioned at his last appearance.

*Rush will thank Sean Hennedy for filling in for him while he had the sniffles.

Really, I'm fucking psychic! Vote for me!

algore

Rubybaby: 'Men and Women' is the Browning title and it's jam packed full of goodies. Start with 'Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister', 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphurya's Lover' all twisted as a pretzel.

At app. 4000k the human voice jumps from the throat to the nose where it resonates beyond any muscle control and is dispersed though the hard palate and the nose. It's called a falsetto and Donny does it a lot. You've got to love someone who sings mostly through the nose. It helps immensley to still have adenoids and tonsils in place as the sheer weight of the aforementioned take the place of any and all lung / diaphragm dynamics. You can tell it from the lisp-like sneer of a deviated septum.

Cute, but can Surgery can fix it?

Pearl

Bill,

Your posts are far more informative than mine ever were so I am quick to pass the torch to you. Please rinse all co-polymers out of your hair first.

On The Safe Side,

Bill The Lesser

Bill Nye - Excellent piece on vocal placement! As you noted, placement does vary by voice part; baritones and altos tend to place in their chest, while tenors, like Fagen, or sopranos, like me, tend to place in their heads. Of course, there is even more variance among the different styles of singing - operatic tenors are more likely to place lower than other tenors, as do some operatic sopranos, while sopranos who sing in the English choral style are trained to place in their heads and sing like boy sopranos. It sounds to me like the style that Fagen sings in is a learned, or perhaps one might better say chosen, style; on the old demo recordings he's placing in his throat or chest and singing with some vibrato, but apparently he decided that style was not what he wanted (wisely, I think) and he started placing higher for the brighter sound he has used over the years. His voice resonates quite well where he has been placing it.

(However, I don't necessarily think that people who place high in their heads use air from above their diaphragms; I always breathe as far down as possible and really expand my abdomen, but when the breath leaves my vocal cords, it goes right up into my nose and sinuses. Might just be a difference in training, though.)

Q - Thank you.

Oh, my, so many interesting posts I'd love to respond to, and I've found some other topics I wanted to introduce myself, but it is late and I need to go to bed.

BTW, I've forgotten whose post this is in response to, but Mel Torme did compose a number of songs, the best know is the Christmas Song (aka Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).

OL: Ghost in the Machine

Bill- what's the term for double posting? Please elaborate.

Stranger: When you breathe out, this can be done passively due to recoil of the lung and ribs acting as a spring pushing out air. Breathing out or EXPIRATION can be also done with active assistances also. Think of your abdmoninal muscles as motors, as pressure generators. They push inwards against squeezing the guts together, but you don't want those intestines and other abdominal organs to come spilling out like toothpaste out of a tube - That's a hernia! ...and it's not laughing matter. We'll talk about that after dark on Friday. So, anyway, the guts push against the diaphragm muscle which separates the abdomen from the thorax or chest. The diaphragm is a muscle that is usually used for INSPIRATION or breathing in. I've got one...oh, right *here* in the formaldehyde jar in case I need to come up with an idea for a show...get it?! INSPIRATION???!!! Ha !! Ha!! Ha!!... Oh, where was I? Yeah, now here the diaphragm is used by the guts as a PISTON pushing up on the thorax transferring the squeezing or positive pressure around the lungs pushing the air out of them. By controlling the airflow and speed in our throat with small laryngeal muscles, we can make the vocal cords vibrate in just the right way to make the sound we want.

People who sing from "down below" really use those abdominal muscles to push up the diaphragm. This is called "singing from the diaphragm" even though the abdominal muscles like the rectus abdominus and abdominal obliques are doing most of the work. Oh sure - they deserve SOME credit...but rock-hard abs alone won't make you a great singer - have you ever heard an aerobics instructor who could sing worth a lick. Of course, I've had a few who could make me sing with their licks! *rimshot* Oh, thank goodness this is primetime! The key is like always control! No, no, not the kind where you’re thinking about baseball highlights during oh, uh...anyway, back to our lesson. People who sing from their diaphragm can create a rich, resonant, powerful sound as the vibrations bounce off the chest like a tympani drum. The resulting ringing cry works especially nicely with baritones or bare chested maidens!…no, wait – that’s me crying out there! Hey, how about that Tarzan movie, huh kids?!

People who sing "up high" rely primarily on their external intercostal or rib muscles to squeeze the air out of the lungs. These muscles are "above" the diaphragm and create airflow through the throat past the vocal cords. Control of the vocal cords especially with higher pitched notes now concentrates on resonating the bones of the head instead. You can look at Mr. Fagen's facial and cranial features and really see where he gets that right high whine and sneer in the voice!

Stranger: When you breathe out, this can be done passively due to recoil of the ung and ribs actins as a spring pushing out air. Breathing out or EXPIRATION can be also done with active assistances also. Think of your abdmoninal muscles as motors, as pressure generators. They push inwards against squeezing the guts together, but you don't want those intestines and other abdominal organs to come spilling out like toothpaste out of a tube - That's a hernia! ...and it's not laughing matter. We'll talk about that after dark on Friday. So, anyway, the guts push against the diaphragm muscle which separates the abdomen from the thorax or chest. The diaphragm is a muscle that is usually used for INSPIRATION or breathing in. I've got one...oh, right *here* in the formaldehyde jar in case I need to come up with an idea for a show...get it?! INSPIRATION???!!! Ha !! Ha!! Ha!!... Oh, where was I? Yeah, now here the diaphragm is used by the guts as a PISTON pushing up on the thorax transferring the squeezing or positive pressure around the lungs pushing the air out of them. By controlling the airflow and speed in our throat with small laryngeal muscles, we can make the vocal cords vibrate in just the right way to make the sound we want.

People who sing from "down below" really use those abdominal muscles to push up the diaphragm. This is called "singing from the diaphragm" even though the abdominal muscles like the rectus abdominus and abdominal obliques are doing most of the work. Oh sure - they deserve SOME credit...but rock-hard abs alone won't make you a great singer - have you ever heard an aerobics instructor who could sing worth a lick. Of course, I've had a few who could make me sing with their licks! *rimshot* Oh, thank goodness this is primetime! The key is like always control! No, no, not the kind where you’re thinking about baseball highlights during oh, uh...anyway, back to our lesson. People who sing from their diaphragm can create a rich, resonant, powerful sound as the vibrations bounce off the chest like a tympani drum. The resulting ringing cry works especially nicely with baritones or bare chested maidens!…no, wait – that’s me crying out there! Hey, how about that Tarzan movie, huh kids?!

People who sing "up high" rely primarily on their external intercostal or rib muscles to squeeze the air out of the lungs. These muscles are "above" the diaphragm and create airflow through the throat past the vocal cords. Control of the vocal cords especially with higher pitched notes now concentrates on resonating the bones of the head instead. You can look at Mr. Fagen's facial and cranial features and really see where he gets that right high whine and sneer in the voice!

Hay...

Danman: Have no fear on that Chinese takeover. U.S. interest
down there has never been greater. Closure of that waterway to
even an ally would be met with aggression unlike anything we've
experienced in recent years. The Pentagon would probably welcome
some 'gameplay' right here in the backyard!

Steve V: I beg to amend your chronology... The Dan debuted THREE
songs in '96: Wet Side Story, Cash Only Island, and Jack of Speed. Got to see all three in two shows.

KD: Keep it up, youth! Happy to hear others your age recognize
quality. Ignore questions about your age with regard to LP release dates - one day all these 'old' fucks are gonna be dead,
and you'll still be turning some other youth on to the good vibe.
BTW, now that I think about it, I was ECSTATIC to find out when Gaucho was being released - I walked about 2 miles to the local
Karma record store, bought the album, ran home, threw it on the
old turntable, and wham!, Babylon Sisters lit up the apartment.
For the next week(and beyond), I played that album every single
day because my nineteenth year was coming to a close - Hey Nineteen, in that case, was MY song, and I couldn't get enough.
It had been a loonnngggg wait since Aja.

Two Against Nature...hmm.

Peter North: Thanks for the laugh!

oleander: HOW WAS THAT 'FEST??? Big review, please!

peaceout, Earthbound

Snowbound........

SFDB...sorry for double post

Mr. Silvers- your probably right.

Alt great post on 8/1 regards Don's "genre" or unclarity there in.

Snobound Scotish dude - nice play there !

KD : you're quite right, except that Joni didn't go to Woodstock - she watched it on TV (but her heart was there).
As to knowing D&W : if they're writing about 'characters' surely they're detached.
I'm interested in the concept of the Custerdome (the ironic possibitities). Also (this might get me shot) for me Aja, although great especially musically) I think it more limited lyrically compared to Royal Scam - maybe ,as someone said, we do get a glimpse of ther way wealth can change people.

Regarding the whole acting thing: Randy Newman was on that David Byrne/PBS show (don't remember the name) the other night, talking about how differently he's taken in by listeners and critics (two different people?) because he always seperates himself from the songs he writes that are supposed to be about other people (supposedly).

And one damn song could have 42 lines, 21 autobiographical and 21 written for Al Pacino and throw in his limited (but bloody wonderful) voice and the fact that early on he didn't even want to sing...whew.....that and most of the stuff he grew up listenting to didn't even have lyrics.

But the timeline has something to do with it. Before Steely Dan he was writing about working all day and drinking his dinner from a paper sack and such, alternating with bits of the whole Burroughs thing. By the end of the first wave of Dan he was singing about coke-addled power forwards, driving around L.A., and homosexual romance high in the Custerdome.

And that's even assuming it was DF that wrote the beef of those lyrics. Most singer-songwriters are willing to share what went into their lyrics in the press and otherwise. Joni Mitchell singing about by the time we got to Woodstock and Jackson Browne talking about beating up his wife (oops!), but Becker and Fagen purposely gave you only 10% of the story in song and refused to elaborate on the rest to anyone who asked. Whether they're saying their script isn't finished or too uncomfortable to share such a personal feeling is anyone's guess.

And I guess that's what we do.

Anyway, it says here that 'Gaucho' came out on 11-21-80, and I'm 5-15-80, so a good six months old when it came out.

And if there's one thing Steely Dan does fast, its mixing the damn album. So here's hoping...peace

Altalmira,
I seem to recall you saying that Fagen sings from 'high in his head' or something along those lines. Please explain?

I don't especially like Springsteens music.. But there was a guy who once played drums with one of his early bands that got blowed away in nam.. Billy Joel's Goodnight Saigon is far, far better than Walkin' On A Thin Line.. and he didn't go there either..
Walkin' On A Thin Line is like Platoon.. It's for you that didn't go, and need conventional imagery & Reductionist doctrine to relate..
The 2 best movies about nam for vets are "The Stuntman" & "Jacobs Ladder", but they go right past the Comfy Critters with that deep-as-a-dime brainpan..
"Home At Last" is one of the best Vet songs ever & has been used as theme music on a veterans radio show, but D&W dont' even know that's what the song is about, and probably wouldn't give a shit if anybody told them..
Lucky guys..

mr. Edd: I surfed over to the Joyce Cooling site you gave us. I had a blast! Keep 'em coming.

Clas: Whilst I was at that Joyce Cooling page, I downloaded a song called Imagine That. As it played, I heard my man say from the other room, "Hey, is that Clas?"

Why the sternum agony? You're heart rate is a bit high, but maybe that's due to your *abstention*. Your blood pressure looks okay. Considering what you've been through, you're a tough old moose! However, I'm seeking a 2nd opinion for you.

Dr.Ole: Would you please give Clas a good cyber exam? I know you're booked solid, but could you squeeze him in?

Andrew: Have you ever read "The Glove" by Robert Browning? I find the same subtle irony in Hatian Divorce. I am not familiar with his dramatic monologues. I cut every class in high school that I possibly could, copied every assignment in my ability, and managed to deny myself even the meager education public school had to offer. What can I say? Shucks!

rb

What I mean is that Fagen is more than an actor (much more) and Clas makes an unsubstantiated sweeping generalization.

Was Bruce Springsteen humping the boonies in the Nam? Fuck no. He was home in New Jersey arguing with his father about the length of his hair. He's never spoken with a VA man. But, angst/anger is easy. Actors will tell you this. It is relatively easy to grab the mic and shout and "do anger". He seems to have you convinced. (he had Reagan wishing he'd actually LISTENED to the song, nyuk). Clas- Do you mean to say that Bruce IS his discography? Joni NEVER acts when she sings, she IS? They convey "real" feelings and Fagen hasn't for one single minute?

Others point out that all singers are somewhere between the boundaries of pure heart-on-the-sleeve self-expression (joni) and complete fabrication of a character (the guy who WAS born in the USA and DID serve his country fighting VC), especially if they have NOT written the song (did Mel T compose? have songs written for him that were ABOUT him? Clas- Did Mel convey any real feelings according to your meaning?) Maybe you mean Fagen is a BAD actor? Can't buy a real feeling?

Does the singer have to wear his (in this case, his) heart on his sleeve to score a real feeling point with you, or at least be real obvious about how he feels through his character (like Bruce screaming about where he was born)? Complex, intellectualized emotions (attenuated, obfuscated, phase shifted, etc) psychopathological delusions, snide observations, rarified cynicism, tongue-in-cheek characterizations, acerbic phrases, sarcasm... none of this IS Donald. He's an actor. I responded: it's an over simplification, and a good conversation starter.

I also meant that there is no way to substantiate that he sings NOTHING of who he IS (in the form of a "real" feeling). Why write a song about a man holed up with a case of dynamite? Why did Bruce write about the plight of the VA-abandoned? If you can't hear/feel anything that conveys a "real feeling" to you- okay, that's a statement of fact. You get nothing real. Let me ask you
(quick disclaimer for a medium with no eyebrows: read my tone as intellectually probing and lighthearted- as though you were playing a friendly game of scrabble, or discussing a book)

would you rather be friends with Walter or Donald? and...
How do you know?

[I'm tempted to leave it at that but due to time,effort,and real life things in general which limit level of participation]

Do you feel that you "know" Donald at all?
Do you feel that you know him far far less than you "know" Joni?

see where I'm going?

A comment was made regarding boredom, as though your generalization is a uselss one... on the contrary- I think it's a spark and hope it turns out to be fun. If you feel that you know him in any way shape or form... how might this be possible?

F#maj9